


Lost Star

by PastelWolf88



Series: Lost Star [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Action, Bottom Chanyeol, Bottom Sehun, M/M, Mystery, Romance, Supernatural Elements, Top Kyungsoo, Top Lu Han
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2018-07-14 05:16:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 41
Words: 107,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7155227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PastelWolf88/pseuds/PastelWolf88
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Never was Sehun okay with what he was, what he is. His power that connects with eleven others makes his life so much harder, but what he does not know, is that finding the other forces would be this hard. Nor that his help would matter so much.</p><p>Your heart is no prison. Why do you lock up so much sorrow?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Start Of Horrors

**Author's Note:**

> Oooohhhh changed the rating to explicit because...! Yeah! Well!

"So... She's dead...?"

A woman's body lays in the bedroom, face down on the floor in a pool of blood. Her eyes are open, a shocked expression on her face. A man takes a hit of his cigarette and mutters something out. Another man is holding a boy who's looking at the woman's body in horror.

"She's taken care of", a man next to the boy, but not the one holding him, exclaims. Man next to the body smiles a bit to himself, victoriously. The three of them would do anything to obtain it, the power.

"So", he starts as he turns around to look at the three. "Sehun, was it?"

The boy looks at him in horror. His name indeed is Sehun, but he doesn't know what to reply. These two men just came in, marched into the bedroom and shot her. They held Sehun in his place making sure he wouldn't flee, and that's when the third man came in. He looks scary, a scar on his cheek, just like Sehun has one but smaller, small evil eyes and black thin moustache. A fedora on his head makes it impossible to see his whole face.

He walks closer to the shivering boy. Tall and skinny, unlike the man in front of him who's short and muscular, and also fat and disgusting, smelling like cigarettes. He looks at Sehun with a sly smirk the latter doesn't much appreciate. He tries to shake off the other man's hand but to no avail.

He shouldn't have done that. Looking at the man in the eyes is horrible enough. Glassy, mean, sharp like knives. If there was a chance to run away, the boy would use it. If these men wouldn't hurt him.

"You can do whatever you want with him, as long as he does it and we get the proof. We knew your real mother", he glances at the two before looking at Sehun with an evil expression on his face. "Because we killed her."

Sehun looks at the man with tears in his eyes. He knows why they're here. He knows why he has to get hurt. He knows the lady laying on the pool of blood isn't his real mother, but simply a civilian who had nothing to do with Sehun's ability. She was a backup, who knew nothing. She was a lonely woman offered with a family member.

"We know about your supernatural powers, Sehun-ah", the man says with mean gaze playing on his face, eyes glued to the boy's who's practically having a heart attack. "Come on, show it to us and run away. Use it on us, throw us out the window and run. Let us taste your fury."

Sehun pleads in his mind that the men wouldn't do anything to him. They already took away his mother, his real parents and now, his freedom.

There's an alarm clock on the nightstand. Sehun looks at it intensively. If he would show his power, what would the men do? Only tears run down his cheeks now as small whimpers leave his lips. But what if he took, a pen maybe, and stab the man's eye? Took the gun and made the man shoot himself maybe?

The one holding him looks at the alarm clock he's intensively staring at. Tears blur his vision.

"Come on. Don't be shy", he encourages, but Sehun is startled by this.

"I don't have time for this", the man in front of the boy grunts before slapping the latter's cheek. Sehun falls back, sobbing loudly. "You two do anything to make him show it to us. Then bring him to the boss. If we don't bring him the proof, he might just stop paying us."

"Yes, sir."

The next thing really makes Sehun cautious. The two men hold his arms tightly, and no matter what he did, he can do nothing to stop them - nothing that wouldn't involve his abilities.

The men hold his arms tightly and take him to the door of the apartment. It's the third floor of an apartment building, and getting Sehun into the car will be a hard task. No one can see what they're up to, kidnapping a boy to their own car.

Through the small halls and staircases, they take the crying boy with them. No one sees what's happening, because the apartment building is small and not many people live in there. In the entrance is no one either. In the front doors the other man lets go of Sehun so it wouldn't look too forceful and it didn't look like he was taken to the car without his own will. True that, but what could the boy do about it?

The streets are crowded with people. The wind blows harder suddenly when the other man opens the door for the boy.

"You showing off?" he mocks and utters a laughter. Sehun keeps his gaze low and sits nicely in the car, totally obedient. He knows why he has to get hurt and why are these people doing this to him. No one will save him and he wants no attention paid at him, so better stay quiet.

The men sit in the front seats. They stay a few moments there, just sitting to see if the boy wanted to escape. He looks at the two through the mirror, their mean eyes with his own filled with fear.

"Wanna run away? Come on. Do it", they encourage, but Sehun does nothing. Only glares.

Why did they kill his mother is obvious. She knew nothing and was worth nothing. To them. To Sehun, she meant the world. She was his mother, she took care of him even if they could never understand. The third man is probably getting rid of the body by now.

Seeing his mother murdered was just one of the horrors Sehun would have to witness.

"What's his file?" the other man asks now with English, with an Australian accent as he starts the car engine. The other man, white European, replies with a Russian accent when going through some papers while the Australian presses the gas.

"Oh Sehun, age 20, nationality Korean, one brother he won't see again because he's been dead for years. School, Seoul arts college first year. Well, he probably never goes back there. Good enough in school, attempts of suicide, depression, cutting... Oh boy he's really troubled."

"His life is just going to get worse", the other grins. The Russian utters an evil laughter. Sehun still glares at them through the mirror. His English is poor and the accents make it even harder to understand. He doesn't understand anything.

The start of the horrors. Wind blowing and the sky crying to sooth the boy's sorrow.

The place they're taking him is their apartment they rented only for this reason - to get the proof. The proof of Sehun's ability. Many people want him for it, many people have tried to get him. Every time he had to run away. That's why he didn't get any friends. He wants no one to get hurt because of him.

The Russian grabs Sehun's arm and starts taking him to the most highest apartment. It's the perfect place for torturing for months.

In the apartment is simply one bedroom, one living room, one bathroom, one kitchen. The two will sleep in the living room while Sehun will take the whole bedroom because he will be locked in there.

Mental torture usually ends up being the best way to get some emotions showing. That's why the Russian man takes his chance first. For this situation, Sehun might just break and unconsciously start throwing things around the room.

The Russian sits on the bed next to Sehun. The boy backs off immediately, to the corner to hide himself from the man and the world.

"You know you have to show it to us at some point. Do you remember anything from your real parents?"

Sehun replies by simply sobbing. He slowly shakes his head, eyes red and filled with tears.

"You know, your mother was a really gentle person. Even offered tea to the men who killed her", the Russian smirks to the horrified expression of the boy. "She was tortured to death. Do you know how? Her organs were taken away, one by one. She was kept alive to the last point."

Sehun whimpers in protest. The man figures he did not like this info, but he was glad to say it. A strong playing of human mind might make the powers show. Make him scream and cry, feel so sad pathetic and uncomfortable, maybe his feelings are out as a hurricane. Quite literally.

"What about your mother who was now shot? You know she wasn't your real mother. Why did you love her like one?" the man questions but the boy doesn't reply. "Your brother was only less than four years old... Do you feel sad for him for dying at such a young age? He was simply... Taken into his room and shot to the back of his head."

"You..." Sehun whispers between the sobs. "...You monsters... He was only a child..."

"A lot of blood was shead that night, Sehun. But none of it was yours. Do you have any idea what kind of pain your birth gave to those innocent people?"

"...Stop..." the boy begs when hiding his face. He cannot show it. He cannot let it out. If he does, the greatest secret to the world will discover, and the greater the pain after that when thousands of people are after him.

At the moment, there are probably just hundreads.

"Your mother was an innocent person. She was obvious to people. Too obvious, too kind. You shouldn't have hurt her like that."

"Stop!" Sehun begs as he falls on the bed to cover himself thoroughly. The Russian looks at him with a judging pair of eyes, no sympathy behind them. Because Sehun is just a toy to him, and never will he be more than that.

"It's your fault, Sehun", he says again when calmly getting up from the bed and slowly walking to the door, leaving the boy in his pains alone.

"No it's not my fault!" he cries. The man utters an evil laughter when walking through the door, locking it behind him. "It was not me!"

Sehun sobs on the bed, covering his ears and crying out loud. His body tremors violently and the bed shivers with it.

The room is awfully cold. It's grey from the floor and walls. Untidy. Cameras are placed in the corners of the room. His every moment is watched. Everything he does, anything he does, to see if the power would take over him.

The men are prepared for it to last at least weeks, maybe months. They did not know it would take that long...

Sehun crawls into a small ball on the bed and hopes for his death. Is he tested like this only to know he'll survive the final battle if he ever finds the other forces? These two men have no idea about the other eleven. All they were told to do was keep an eye out on Sehun - the airbender.

 

 

**Four months later**

The men really had no idea it would take this long, at all. The Australian, his parents most likely from somewhere in China and Thailand, is drinking in the living room. Sehun lays on the bed in dirty clothes, on the dirty bed that he's marked with his own blood. His wrists are ruined, totally red, his body is in scars, marks and bruises. The two always come to his room to hit him, to mock him, to make him feel guilty and overall shitty. They stub their cigarettes on his skin, leaving burnt marks all over his body.

One that used to be so perfect outside, was never anything from inside. Simply a withered poor soul that never wanted to be in this forsaken body.

Even the razor on the floor is collecting dust. Sehun's blood is probably poisoned by the bacteria now. It's been so long since he saw the sunlight, the room doesn't have any windows. The light switch is on the other room, behind the door, so Sehun has to sleep in the pitch black darkness.

The man coughs in the other room. Sehun startles by it, but tries to calm himself down. You never know what they do when they're drunk.

The boy backs off to the corner of the bed, his head switching slightly to the other side. His eyes are wide open, black bags under them. Horror written on his face, heart beating rapidly from fear as well as the shivers taking over his body. Soon, he can't even breathe anymore.

The doorknob is twitched and Sehun lets out a whimper. More torture, more pain, more reasons to cut the veins open. Why won't they let him die? The men... They always patch him up when he passes out. Keep the dead body breathing.

His breath hitches his throat when the Australian walks into the room. He is losing his balance, a bottle in his hand and a very worn out look on his face. It's scary.

Sehun looks up at the man with fear in his eyes. The booze could be smelled from a mile away. And the disgusting smell of it only comes closer to the boy, nearer the bed.

And on the bed.

In front of Sehun.

Inches away.

"Dmitri always said your mother was very generous. Did he ever say she had a nice piece of ass? You sure got that from her."

Sehun hardly understood his poor drunk Korean, but when those hands grab his wrists tightly, he pretty much catches what's going on. His eyes widen even more as the man keeps pressing him even more down against the mattress.

"She was very beautiful."

"...Please... Don't touch me..." the boy pleads with teary eyes. The man utters a laughter. Now Sehun knows, he hates drunk men.

The man forces himself between Sehun's legs and pushes him down on the bed. The boy cries out harder when feeling the man's lips against his neck and hands starting to undress him.

"L-let me go! Stop! Go away!" he cries and even tries hitting the guy. There's nothing he can do. His powers were worn out months ago.

"There's only one way to get rid of me, and you know it."

The stubble doesn't feel exactly nice. It scratches Sehun's skin awfully and hurts him. The man smells horrible. His hands are big and dirty. It's so disgusting and Sehun couldn't feel more uncomfortable.

"Go away! Stop!" He swings his legs in the air and tries to kick the man, but before he even notices, his pants are on the floor, followed by his underwear. He grabs the man's arms, trying to stop him from opening up his zipper. Tears blur his vision.

"I guess for money people do sick things."

***

Sehun drops his worn out body on the sheets and sobs on the pillow. Pain is radiating his whole body, making him totally limb. He sobs and shivers violently.

When he came in, it only needed a few thrusts for Sehun to pass out and not recover until the pain woke him up. He tries catching his breath.

Has he ever in his life felt so disgusted... Never. Blood and sperm is dripping on the sheets and he would gladly go to shower if his legs would work. He would cover himself if his arms would let him. His body was violated and it feels even more horrible when knowing it was that guy. That guy who's been torturing him for months.

And all that happened is now on a tape. Sehun looks up at the camera in the corner of the room. His eyes are half lidded as he draws in an irregular breath.

"...Is no one looking for me...?" he whispers. Before saying anything more, he draws in another irregular breath. "...No one...?"


	2. Never Trust A Stranger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you get the next chapter this soon already, because I am doing this on my AFF schedule. Later this day, you will also get the third chapter, because, disclaimer, this chapter is angsty.

**Six months later**

_"Why is the film clipped from some parts?"_  a voice from behind the door asks. Sehun clenches his fists and grasps the sheets. Dirty sheets covered with blood and misery. His wrists are open and bleeding.

He was never sorry. But he always cleaned the blood and the sperm away. He never cared for Sehun, nor his body. Only his ability and money he would receive after the torture paid off.

_"...I'm... I... I must've accidentally shut off the camera at sometimes..."_

Sometimes!  _Sometimes!_  More like all the time!

At least, that's how it felt to Sehun. Every time the guy came to the room alone while the other was gone, Sehun felt shivers through his body. He cried, he begged, he even hid. But nothing stopped him. It felt more and more terrifying time after another, probably because he always got more handsy and violent, and by now Sehun's body is covered with hickeys, bruises and scratches.

He hears a smack through the door.

_"You idiot! What if he did it then?!"_

_"Well I highly doubt that! He does fucking nothing!"_

Nothing except lay in bed, waiting for his slow death. That doesn't seem to come either. The Australian knows that Sehun did nothing because he was here, before the camera that wasn't rolling. Or maybe, he never shut off the cameras. Maybe he simply cut the tape so he could see Sehun's struggles all over again...

Sick man.

Today he will do it. There's no other option left. He has to run away. It's been six months - six  _fucking_  months! - he has to get out of here.

_"I told you to keep an eye on him, Richard! Did you not even do that?!"_

_"Yeah yeah, I took real good care of him... Can we just go to sleep? He's probably listening to us talking."_

The truth. Sehun is always listening.

The men switch the lights off. The boy is left alone in the dark room, shivering.

Time has to pass by. No clocks, no idea what time it is. He can only close his eyes and wait for the right moment to open them up again, to leave the room for good.

Hours pass by. At least he thinks so. It feels like forever. Slowly, he gets off the bed and walks to the door. He can see nothing, and so using his hands he finds what he's looking for.

Crouching next to the lock, he blows a bit in there. The wind escaping his lips is strong enough to open the lock. Now to make sure he stays quiet. He sees nothing when opening the door to the dark hallway.

Soft snoring and harder snoring is heard from the living room. Sehun hates it so much. It reminds him of one night Richard let him out of the room to be in the living room with him... That night didn't turn out to be very pleasurable.

Sehun's knees feel limb and every time he hears a small noise, a whimper escapes his lips. He starts making his way slowly to the front door, getting startled by even his own breath.

The darkness is so scary. The noises... Sehun's hands get even more sweaty as he slowly turns the lock and turns the handle. He keeps in his breath while doing so. The hallways are lit and Sehun almost blinds by it.

Slowly, he closes the door quietly and carefully.

Although that doesn't seem to be enough. He hears the other man snapping out of his dreams as the door closes.

His blood rushes to his head and heart starts beating rapidly. Hands getting even more sweaty.

Why is it so hard to move?!

Sehun lets out a whimper when taking a first running step.

Noises.

Back in the room.

His breath hitches in his throat and tears of fear escape his eyes. No more pain. No more suffering. They must not get him.

Have Sehun's legs ever felt so weak and powerless, he doesn't remember. He tries taking quicker steps. Forward and away, lost, in hiding, that's where he has to be.

He almost trips on the stairs, but is able to keep his balance. He trembles on the stairs, but doesn't fall.

The door opens and two angry men curse his name.

Sehun speeds up immediately. In fear, in panic his legs feel more powerful as he runs down the stairs, skipping a few with a long jump. It hurts him, and he almost falls, but he gets up. The will of freedom is keeping him going.

The steps slap on the ground as three men run down the stairs. The Australian is quicker, only one staircase between him and Sehun. The latter whimpers when trying his best to run, the men cursing at him.

"Should've stayed in your room, Sehun-ah. Just wait till I get you", Richard intimidates. Sehun just gets more power to run by this. He can't let that happen ever again he can't let the man play with him again!

Chasing and finally downstairs. Sehun rambles with the door, almost loses the hold of the handle. It's thrown open, and slammed shut on the other man's face. The man is too near him, ready to take him back to the room, but Sehun isn't ready to go back. He isn't ready to be this man's puppet.

Punching bag.

Ragdoll.

Sex toy.

Richard curses again and mutters something when the door hits his face, giving Sehun some time to run further into the streets.

It's dark. Only drunk people are out there. Buildings high above and help nowhere near reaching him.

What time is it?

Sehun runs behind a corner, waiting for someone to help him. But he hears running steps behind him.

Closer. They get closer.

Sehun shuts his eyes and lets the tears flow. He runs and runs, till he can't feel his legs anymore. Closer to his goal...

...That stays as a faraway dream.

Richard catches him and he falls on the ground. Legs are not able to move anymore.

The man crouches on the ground next to him and takes a hold of his arm. Sehun sobs violently, loudly, even screams while the man is trying to shut his mouth.

"Help me! Help me!" he cries and screams, but drunken people only walk by. "Anyone! Please!"

He only deserves a slap on his cheeks by his yelling, "You little slut will never tell anyone, understand?"

Sehun shakes his head rapidly as he claws the ground. The other man runs to them a bit late. He walks to them and hits Richard's head.

"Have you done something to him that I don't know about?" Dmitri wonders with furrowed eyebrows. Richard shakes his head while the boy cries on the ground.

"Help me... Anyone..."

"He's much more afraid of you than he is me", Dmitri continues. Hell, Sehun feels even relieved when it's the Russian and not the Australian. Richard knits his brows together. He made Sehun feel so small inside, so pitiful, so... useless.

"Whatever", he grunts when trying to get the boy on his feet, but only earning whimpers from him.

"Don't touch me!"

"You fuckin-"

"What's going on in here?"

A deep voice of a stranger startles all the three as they look up at him with big eyes. The man has a heavy build, muscular arms, quite the same height as the boy.

The stranger sees the pleading look of the boy. Eyes that are begging,  _save me._

He walks closer to the men who quickly untangle their hands from the boy. Sehun lays on the ground, chin resting on the concrete and grit. He follows the man's steps with his eyes. Steps that stop before his head.

The stranger crouches on the ground and looks at the boy with pity. Sehun cries and tries to say something, some muttering, "...Help me..."

"What have you done...?" the stranger asks when looking up at the two. "I don't know what you've been up to, but I will call the police."

"No!" Richard quickly yells at him. "N-no cops. Just... Take him with you and forget we ever existed."

"Richard, what are you...?" Dmitri whispers to him and hits his shoulder. The Australian is a wuss in this. He looks at the two men in horror before running away from the situation. "Ri-...!" Maybe it's better he won't say his name out loud.

Dmitri turns to look at the man. He slowly raises his hands on his chest and backs off. Scared, that's what he is. But not as much as his friend, who is afraid of anyone knowing what he did to Sehun.

"No hard feelings...?" he asks as he turns around and runs away.

The stranger raises an eyebrow at the situation. But he doesn't pay attention to it for too long when a hand reaching out for his startles him. The boy looks up at him with begging eyes.

"...Help me..."

"It's okay. I'll get you to safety", the stranger assures. For the first time in six months, Sehun wants to trust. He's got nothing to lose anyways.

The man smiles a bit when raising Sehun in his arms. He makes sure he doesn't hurt, makes sure his wrists aren't bleeding, makes sure he's comfortable.

Where he takes him, is not very long. Just a building next to the other Sehun was just in. Caged in.

The man takes him to the third floor where his apartment is. Night, lights out. Everything is so calm and finally Sehun doesn't have to live in a cage anymore. No more cages.

It's a wonder he still is alive. Well, mentally, he's been long dead.

The man lays him down on a sofa and tugs a blanket over him. Sehun looks at him in haze, blinking slowly.

Just as he's almost passing out, the stranger smacks him hardly with the back of a gun. He awakes immediately by the sudden pain and takes in a quick suck of breath. Blood dripping, yet again. The pain and the sorrow, misery, yet again. When he thought it was over, it's just continuing.

Six months! It was six months!

"Never", the man starts. "Trust a stranger, Sehun. You will have to show me what I was looking for. And then, I'll take you to the lab. I know about your power so you better start that airbending."

Sehun looks at the man with fear in his eyes. The man is pointing at him with a revolver above his head. The boy looks at it and him alternatively, his heartbeat getting quicker and quicker yet again.

"Do it. Blow it away, Sehun, I know you can do it."

The boys takes a hold of the gun and the man's hand. He looks straight into the pipe and waits for a bullet. His fingers play on the man's on the trigger.

"...Please do..." he starts his beg. "...Please shoot me..."

Needless to say that the man's attempt doesn't work. He forces the gun out of the boy's hold and throws it on the floor, leaving the latter to cry on the sofa. Sehun begs, pleads with his tears as he looks up at the ceiling.

"...Anyone... No one... Cares for me..." he states. The man stands up and wraps the boy tighter into the blanket, so he couldn't move. And so he doesn't. Not even when the man raises his shivering body in his arms and takes him to a room. There is nothing. Absolutely nothing. Well, except a window this time.

The stranger throws Sehun on the floor and leaves to his own room. The boy cries. Yet again, all over again, he will get hurt without his own intentions. But no one, not a single living soul, will find out about his powers.

***

Two knocks on the door, it's open and a bowl of rice is given to the boy. Then it's locked shut again. Sehun crawls to the food he's given and takes the bowl in his hands, trying to get at least some of the food in there. See, the man didn't give him anything to eat it with.

"Disgusting. You know why you are that?" the man questions. Sehun whimpers and lowers his head immediately. "Because you are just an animal. An animal in this world, a dog, that doesn't deserve to live."

Why doesn't a dog deserve to live, Sehun wonders. He hides behind his hands. The man is watching him through the glass on the door, with a judging gaze on his face.

Sehun doesn't understand why has freedom always been such a faraway dream for him. It's reality for a lot of people, and under these circumstances, in a torture that doesn't give him enough food, water, anything, is too much. It's too much for him. Every time he sleeps, when he sleeps, if he sleeps, he sees a nightmare. Sometimes it's the Russian man talking to him about his past and beating the shit out of him, or the Australian raping him all over again.

The past is simply reliving itself in Sehun's dreams, making him even more vulnerable to the stranger's words and his doings.

What's the difference between this man than those man? This man simply keeps him caged and treats like an animal, sometimes beating him up.

Sehun knows more than better now to never trust a stranger.


	3. Knocks On The Door

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update!  
> The next one you gotta wait for two weeks...

Three knocks on the door make the stranger let out a loud gasp. Sehun is just laying on the man's bed, his hands tied to the bed end. He's keeping his legs close to his chest and trying to hide himself from the man. So that he wouldn't hurt him.

But now, a heavenly knock on the door!

 _"Mister Shim open the door!"_  The man is getting impatient with his knocks. Sehun just bites his lips and wishes there would be no more people wanting to torture him - just let it be someone who can help him.

The man doesn't do anything to make the one behind the door stop his rummaging. He only stays quiet and goes to the corner of the room as he grabs a knife from the nightstand. Sehun doesn't know should he scream to show he's in there or to stay quiet to pretend he's not there.

_"This is police, I'm coming in!"_

The next thing they hear is a loud crack as the door breaks. Someone is in the apartment.

Police, eh? To hint him where to go, Sehun starts to scream as well as kick his legs in the air. The man in the corner looks at him stupidly before realizing what he's doing. He runs to the boy and shuts his mouth immediately, but this only makes Sehun struggle harder.

Then the door's open. Finally... a savior.

The stranger turns around.

"This is officer Lu Han from Seoul police department and you, Shim Heejung, are under arrest for the murder of Lee Wonbin! Put your hands above your head and drop your weapons! Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law!"

The police, Luhan, has a blue police's uniform. Sehun's savior in blue. He has a strong voice, making the man totally unable to move. He's pointing a black gun, that's as far as Sehun knows, bravely at the criminal, Shim Heejung. They glare at each other, like they'd know one another. Luhan's hair are brown and pulled back, he looks totally hot as well as soaked in the pouring rain.

Sehun feels a sudden strong feeling in his chest when being near this man. Why, he doesn't understand. Unless he's a member of the forc-

He is a member of the forces! Sehun's eyes widen when he looks at the police. Mister Shim walks away from the boy, hands above his head. He backs off to the corner.

That's when Sehun's and Luhan's gazes collide. Luhan seems to be, reading, his face like an open book. His eyes are hypnotizing and they suddenly grow wider.

"So we meet again. I was waiting for our meeting", Heejung says. Luhan glares at him.

"Human scum like you should be in prison rotting for the rest of his life."

"Should I take this as a compliment? Am I that bad, Luhan?"

"Take it as you will but I am taking you and the boy to the police station. What are you doing with him anyways? Sexual assault? Rape? Torture? What are you doing with him, Mister Shim?"

"Oh I am doing the usual... You know me, Luhan. We have had so much fun for the past three weeks", the man smirks to the police evily. Luhan seems like he's seeing something off in the other. Sehun notices it.

"You are not", he exclaims. "This boy is special, isn't he? This boy is an airbender, isn't he?"

Heejung furrows his brows when looking at the police deep in the eyes. A silence falls in the room, only Sehun's sneezing is echoing as well as heavy raindrops hit the building and roof.

"You've been looking for all the wrong places, Mister Shim", Luhan tells. He lowers his gun, turns a bit on his side and bam, the front door is closed with a simple turn of his hand. Another, and the bedroom door is closed.

It's like he took a hold of them, but from further away. With an unknown invisible force controlling them. He looks back at Mister Shim whose jaw is dropped to the ground.

"When you were running away from me, you had no idea you were supposed to chase me", Luhan intimidates. He takes a step forward before raising his left hand in a strangling position. With the invisible force Shim feels his legs lifting from the ground and his body push to the wall.

Sehun stares in shock. Seems like this member of the forces is much more powerful than him. The man against the wall gasps for air, his eyes as wide as Sehun's.

"You smoke, you drink, you have diseases. You have heart diseases, don't you?" Luhan questions when with his right hand he tries to get a hold of something. His hand moves like a beating heart was on it. Shim's heart.

Then he tries to stop the beating and pull it towards himself.

"To hell with you, Luhan", Heejung curses with a breath of air. His head is totally red from the strangling.

"Say hi to the devil for me."

One last strong pull, and his heart stops.

Luhan gently drops the body on the ground and sits calmly on the bed next to the boy. Before starting to open the ropes that hold Sehun on his place, he takes out his microphone.

"I found Shim Heejung dead in his bedroom. His body is still warm. He had a heart attack and also a kidnapped person in his bedroom. I need reinforcements to search the house. At the meantime I would like to take the boy to the station. Copy."

Luhan now unties the boy. He flashes a small smile to him, but Sehun only shivers in fear. When the ropes are away, he backs off to the end of the bed and tries to cover himself from the police. But the latter only wants to help, and especially talk about this thing that makes them one.

They look at each other in the eyes. Sehun smells quite horrible due to the lack of hygiene the last seven months and dirty clothes. Those things don't matter to the police, of course, he's here to help.

"...Hi. You must be scared, I understand. He is a feared criminal that needed to be dead, please understand", the police starts with a calm voice. Sehun stares at his beautiful features. Those circles under his eyes show some signs of insomnia, just like Sehun has. "My name is Luhan. I am a police officer from Seoul police department and I am here to help. Now can you help me help you?"

His voice is so gentle. Sehun nods a few times rapidly. His whole body feels heavy. And the wounds on his wrists, open and bloody, are very hard to cover. That's why they're not, that's why Luhan takes his time to look at them with sorrow in his eyes.

"...None of the forces can be dead and you know that. To save the humanity, we cannot risk lives." Luhan's eyes are full of compassion. So much it hurts Sehun's heart. "Hey. Tell me what is your name, airbender."

How does he know Sehun is the airbender?

"...Sehun..." the boy whispers with a broken voice. "...My name is Oh Sehun..."

The police smiles a bit to him, "Hi, Sehun. I have the power of telekinesis. Do you know what that means?" Sehun narrows his red eyes.

"You can control things from afar...?" Luhan utters a small laughter.

"Yes. I can. I can also read people's minds. I read their emotions and lies or truths from their faces. If I really focus, I can read minds. That's why I kind of know you are the airbender."

Sehun's eyes soften near him. He's... much more safer.

"...Can you save me...?" he asks with a silent voice. Luhan nods a few times.

"Come with me to the police station. I will ask you some questions there, I figure you don't want to be here", he exclaims. "There's nothing to be afraid of anymore."

Sehun sobs shatter and he feels relieved. Now that the stranger is dead and he is safe.

Luhan takes Sehun's hand in his and helps him up the bed. The boy almost falls on the ground immediately when his feet touch the surface. The police catches his fragile body before it slams on the ground. Only sound of the rain and the boy's sobbing. He gets on his feet and the police helps him by holding his arm, but he slaps it away. He's wise enough now to never trust a stranger.

Police is a friend, but Sehun won't trust it. He won't trust anyone ever again. Even if he falls somewhere in his thoughts as Luhan walks nearer the front door, the boy following him quietly.

_Freedom? I doubt it._

Sehun takes small quiet steps through the kitchen and living room. He keeps his eyes on the police man's neck. He has a black leather jacket. He looks... small, but muscular, strong. Needless to say he is, indeed, judging by the way he took a hold of the man's neck and raised him up against the wall. Strangled him and stopped his heart.

Killed him, cold-bloodedly.

_Say hi to the devil for me._

The police glances behind himself every once in a while to make sure the boy is following him. In the stairs the latter is staring at the ground, arms wrapped on his chest and a frown on his face. Luhan smiles a bit to the one who doesn't pay attention to it.

Downstairs, in the silence, the police stops. He throws his leather jacket off of himself and turns around. The boy looks at the ground, shivering, crying, and startled when feeling fabric on his shoulders. Luhan only has a short-sleeved police unifrom on him. He'll be fine, it's his duty to help people in need.

"Please", he starts with sorrow in his eyes. "I don't want you to be more ill than you already are."

Sehun looks at him in the eyes. He purses his lips together and shakes his head, "I will be fine."

Luhan doesn't entirely believe that. He narrows his eyes but leaves the subject alone, turning around to lead the boy into the pouring rain. Pouring, purgative rain. People are jumping off some new puddles of water and holding onto their umbrellas. The noise of the traffic is something Sehun has always despised. The noises of hurry.

Buildings are reaching up the skies. In the rain, the air is more pure. That's one of the reasons rain isn't that bad. Sehun can actually feel himself breathing something else than carbon dioxide, fumes and cigarette ashes.

Luhan opens the door for the boy who gets on the car on the front seat. The police goes to the driver's seat, and before starting the engine, he reminds, "Fasten your seatbelt."

Sehun doesn't argue, he does as he's told.

Silence again. Between two strangers, there's nothing to talk about. Except the forces and the fact that they have been separated to be one again.

The way to the police station isn't that long and the pouring rain doesn't make it any easier to drive. Luhan curses at himself when driving through a big puddle splashing water with dirt all over the car. 

Well, good thing this one isn't his.

He gets out of the car and quickly walks to the other side to open the door for the boy. And because he's shivering from the cold drops that land on his bare skin. Sehun keeps his gaze at the ground as he gets up from his seat to be greeted with an unbelievable tiredness and exhaustion.

Luhan notices this as he takes his hand in his own and starts leading him into the police station.

The lobby is kind of nice. Other officers are staring at the two but don't much care about it, they have their own business to take care of.

"Who's this?" a tall man asks as he happens to walk right past Luhan. The latter makes an apologizing look on his face.

"This is Sehun Oh. He is the boy reported missing from the University, reportedly victim of Richard Li and Dmitri Barinov, and confirmed to be the victim of Shim Heejung, also. I would like to take him to the nurse and ask him some questions", Luhan clears out. The captain looks at Sehun from head to toes with clear pity in his eyes, but unable to catch the other's, since he's staring at the ground.

"All clear. You may take him to the infirmary and interrogate him", the captain says and nods his head as he glances back at the officer. Luhan nods once as he starts dragging the boy to the other side of the police station.

 _Those three knocks_ , Sehun wonders silently in his mind.  _Those three knocks saved me._


	4. The Simplicity

"...I'm sorry to say this Mister Oh, and Mister Lu, but you have a very high fever", a chubby lady in white clothes says. She has a thermometer in her hand and a worried look on her face. Don't they all?

Sehun lays in a bed. He's laying his head on a pillow and his eyes are drifting close. His wrists are wrapped in bandages and shirt up for cleansing the wounds on his chest and stomach. The police officer is sitting right before the bed and helping the doctor to help the poor boy. She has put him on a drip, he's not doing so well.

The white bandages are already ruined with blood. The calm noise of raindrops hitting the window are like a lullaby to Sehun.

"His condition is very bad. The marks are showing to a sexual assault as well as corporal and my guess is also mental torture. No signs of broken bones, but a lot of bruises and wounds made by himself and by the men. He's been beat up a lot. He also has to see the psychologist to get all the help he needs to get over this traumatic experience", the doctor explains. She leaves the thermometer on a desk and just looks at the shivering boy on the bed in thought.

She's not the only one. Luhan is deep in his thoughts, or, in Sehun's thoughts, reading them like an open book. He just wants to understand, but all that he can get from his mind seems too overwhelming for him to even properly read them. What he has now found out, is that his mother was shot and some images of the men beating him up. He needs to know more about the forces.

"Officer Lu", she calls out and turns to look at the police officer. The latter raises his head quickly in her direction. Sehun tries to stay focus and listen to their conversation, but after the amount of medicine he's been given, he feels like passing out at any moment. "I know it's not your concern and it's not a part of your job, but it would probably be the wisest decision if he stayed in your place. I know you are a busy man with a lot of work to do, but it would mean a lot to me, and especially him, if you took him in your house and took care of him. I have a feeling that he might trust you, especially since you took care of him alone."

Luhan nods a couple of times, "It's been really boring there, anyways. I only have two cats, I guess they would like to have someone to be with while I'm gone." She smiles a bit and nods.

"He is not a hopeless case, and you can take the honor of saving him."

"I will", Luhan assures. She nods again a few times.

"But don't tell captain I said anything like that. He might just get mad at me and tell you to get this boy to the safehouse. Take a good care of him."

Sehun is already closing his eyes, but the doctor leaves the room to leave the two alone. Luhan takes his chair and moves it closer to the bed. He takes Sehun's hands in his own and wakes up the latter.

The boy looks up at the man hazily with half-lidded eyes. It's too bright in the room and his head hurts like hell. The rain is so comforting.

"I want to ask you some questions, but I think that has to wait for a bit. Were you listening to what we were just talking about?" Luhan asks with furrowed eyebrows. Sehun looks at him tiredly. It seems like he's clearly not.

The police officer sighs deeply when crossing his hands behind his head and looking at the wall. They listen to some noises screaming through the door but they only echo in Sehun's head, making him even more nauseous.

"I will take you to my place, okay?" Luhan now looks back at the boy who really doesn't seem to care at all. The police looks at him a bit better, to see what he's feeling. It's not clear, and his mind is wandering. So he decides to get up and lend his hand once again. "Come on. Let's go. You need to rest in clean clothes in a real bed."

Sehun blinks tiredly before accepting his help and getting off the bed. Luhan smiles at him a bit, but the latter doesn't pay any attention to it.

 

 

Dark room. The only light is coming from the window. The rain is still drumming on the glass, the same noise Sehun remembers falling asleep with. He also remembers a man, the police officer, Luhan, who took him in this house and lend him clean clothes and led to the bed, tugged under the blankets.

It would be a lie if Sehun said he didn't like it. Being taken care of, like a kid.

The door creaks open and a man in a black long-sleeved shirt switches the lights on, almost blinding Sehun. He walks closer to the bed with a bowl of soup in his hands. His smile is very comforting, even if Sehun cannot understand all that there is behind it. Even if Luhan can understand everything what's going on in his mind, and at the moment, it's probably a bunch swear words.

Luhan places the soup bowl on the nightstand right next to the bed and sits on the comfy mattress, making him a seat right next to the boy. Sehun stirs his eyes, it's so damn bright.

"Morning, Sehun-ah. It's midday and you're still sleeping", Luhan utters a laughter. "In your state, understandable, but please move a limb every once in a while so I know you're still alive. I made you something to ease your fever. Even though I'm not much of a chef, I know how to make soup. You won't die when eating it, trust me, I tried it too."

Sehun blinks really lazily when looking up at the man. He slept so well but head aches like hell. And the other does notice it. He's kind of a psychic.

"I really hope you'll be better soon."

His smile is the warmest thing the boy has seen in... In his whole life. There was only his mother who took care of him, who was the warmest person in the whole universe, and now there's not even her.

"...I would like to ask you some questions. I know you just woke up from your sixteen hour sleep, but please, I... I want to know... How long were you with... With them?"

The memories are painful enough to make Sehun close his eyes again and want to die. Shim was horrible enough after the two, but Li was the worst. He'll never forget what happened, he'll never forgive what he did to him.

It's a moment of silence Luhan uses to read his mind. He can feel the anxiety and fear roaming in there. Images of a man closing the door. Seems to be drunk. He calls Sehun's name.

But a broken sob awakes the both of them.

"...It was seven months. Six months with the two of them and three weeks with him. I know. I count."

Luhan nods a few times, "...I'm sorry I troubled you with such a question. It must've been hard."

"...Hard...?" Sehun breathes out. "...Why am I still alive...?"

"...I'm sorry. I promise you we'll catch those men."

Luhan takes the bowl and brings it closer to the boy. He has a really sad expression on his face that Sehun stays to stare at.

"Eat this. It'll help you recover."

"...Where exactly am I...?" Sehun wonders as his eyes wander all around the too bright room. It's so clean here.

"You're in my house. This is the guestroom. You can be here as long as you need to, and if you ever need me, I'll be in the room right next to this." He nods. "This is your home until... Until it's over."

This however makes him uneasy, "What's over?"

"...The war. You know about the war, right?" Luhan wonders as he blinks a few times in an innocent manner. Sehun shakes his head. "So you were never told. I wonder if the others are. If yes, they should be looking for us."

"...What are you talking about...?"

"The Twelve Forces, Sehun-ah. We are just two of the twelve supposed to fight off the evil, whatever that is. Even I don't know more about our enemy."

Sehun narrows his eyes and points his nose. He turns his back to the police.

"...I know about the forces and the final battle."

"Good. You are the airbender, you know it, I have the power of telekinesis, we both know it, and there are ten others with supernatural powers like ours."

"...Then what are these powers...?" the boy wonders while closing his eyes and clenching his fists, tugging the blanket nearer to his chest. "...I don't understand why I have to suffer like this. I know why, but don't understand."

"...You are not the only one suffering", Luhan reminds with sadness in his eyes. To read minds, to read emotions, he needs to see the other's face. "It has been written in our scripted lives. You don't know how to control the power, do you?"

Sehun shakes his head lightly, "I don't know what it can do. I don't know how to stop it unless I keep it away from me."

"It's a part of you. It should act like one, too. Your part. Part of your soul. If it's not a part of you, it's its own soul that might take over you at any point. Don't... let it become its own person."

Sehun gets even more troubled by this. Weird that his soul could just divide like that into two different beings, the other a human, the other just air.

"The ten other powers are teleportation, water, fire, earth, healing, flying, time, light, thunder and frost. There are four main elements - you are one of them, with the power of air. The others are water, fire and earth. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any of the others. Actually, I haven't even been looking for anyone because I've always known I have the ability to find them through my mind reading when I meet them. If I meet them."

"...But what if we never do? Something bad happens, right?"

"Yeah. The world... will be taken by a shadow swallowing it. That's all I heard."

Sehun shuts his eyes tighter and turns his head against the pillow. His head hurts too much.

"I don't want to talk about this. Just tell me who you are. I... want to trust someone again", he pleads. Luhan smiles gently when trying to place his hand on the other's shoulder, but a sudden strong wind blows it away. Maybe he's not too fond of anyone's touch in a while. He's just too sensitive. "I'm... I'm sorry. I don't bear... this."

"It's okay", Luhan assures with sad eyes. "I understand."

"You can't", Sehun mutters a whisper.

"...I understand you don't bear any kind of touch at the moment, but I can't understand what you went through, I know." The boy's shivering body seems to be protecting itself with a sudden shield, a barrier keeping him inside a bubble. Luhan has to break it at some point, or the other might be a danger to all of them. He has to teach him control the power so it wouldn't control him.

That's why their lives are scripted to be horrible.

"...So... My name is Lu Han, I am 25-year-old police officer. I was born in Beijing, so, I am Chinese. My native  language is Chinese. I was taken away from my parents when I turned one and was delivered by a shadowy group to Seoul to another Chinese family. And they... They were killed when I turned eighteen."

Sehun hums a bit. The scripts... Maybe they are all the same.

"...I am Sehun. I'm 21-year-old student... I am from Seoul and I had only a mother after my biological family was killed. She was my whole life", Sehun cries in a silent voice. Tears are packing in his eyes again and memories of his mother are rushing in his mind. He really loved her and she really loved him, like her own son. "...She was innocent."

"...I... I know. The people also killed meimei", Luhan says in a sad tone. Sehun turns a bit to see his face, to show his own red from crying.

"...Meimei...?"

"...Yeodongsaeng. She was my little sister."

"...I'm sorry."

"It's been years. You just focus on your recovery. When you are ready and powerful enough again, I will teach you to use your power. It's... kind of similar to mine, but more powerful."

"But I saw your power. How could I be more powerful than you?"

"You are one of the bright and main elements. You are also one of the nature elements. You can create horrifying destruction", Luhan explains. "As for me... My powers come from the night, nowhere near a nature element, but yours come from the light. As you might know, light lights up the darkness, but darkness doesn't hide the light with a shadow."

Sehun doesn't exactly understand what that means but at the meantime, he doesn't have to.

"Since I found you, I'll take this as a sign", Luhan tells as he gets off the bed. "To look for the other members of the forces. And remember to eat that soup." Luhan leves the room with a simple smile to the boy who gets up to sit on the edge of the bed, just looking after the man who's walking away. Weird enough, he feels a lot safer. Maybe Luhan isn't all that bad.  



	5. Cats Don't Need Names

Somehow sun shining is very calming today and cats are a great therapy. Maybe that's why Luhan has two of them. One grey, one orange. The grey one jumps on Sehun's chest as he lays on the soft, beige couch. He starts to purr loudly and make Sehun let out a giggle.

Luhan's house is very comfortable. It's bright and everything's clean and organized, except in the man's bedroom. He's tidy everywhere else but that room... Everyone has their one sore spot.

 _"Where the fuck did I put it?"_  Luhan curses in his office room right next to the living room, across the kitchen. Between the two rooms is the entrance. The couch is laying in the living room, Sehun is facing the front door. On his left is a big TV. Polices must have a good salary, Sehun figures. At least a lot better than a student that Sehun was, but then again, everyone has more money than a student. If anything hadn't happened to Sehun, he would be living with macaronis right now.

A noise of books falling on the ground is heard from the small office room.

_"Agh! Don't mess around!"_

Sehun starts to pet the cat's head and make the small one purr in bliss. He utters another laughter when the cat raises on his feet and push himself against Sehun's face, clawing his chest a little to show he's enjoying himself.

"Oh come on... What was your name again?" the boy wonders when a laughter escapes his lips. Luhan quickly looks at the boy on the couch from the office room, his head peeking from the doorway.

"They don't have names! Cats don't need names!" he points his finger. Sehun raises an eyebrow at that.

"...Why not?"

"Because they should decide the names themselves. I don't think it's such a rush to name them", Luhan states, making really amused look to the other one laying on the couch. Sehun narrows his eyes and keeps petting the cat, not sure how to reply to the older. "But you can call him Mister Cat, if you want to call him something. And this rascal is Miss Cat but why the fuck does she have to ruin everything?"

Luhan sighs in frustration when he turns around to throw the cat out of the room. Miss Cat gently lands on her feet and starts making her way to the kitchen to make even more mess there even if there's a cat tree in the living room.

Sehun looks at the cat and wonders, if he'd be a cat, he would be a white cat. Luhan would probably be a grey cat just like Mister Cat. Or brown. Now his imagination is making them cats. That's great.

Therapeutic in every way. Perfect silence except the police's cursing every now and then. Sehun doesn't mind. He closes his eyes and pets the cat that's now laying on his chest, head resting on the crook of his neck and tickling him slightly. Warm, perfect, sunny and the cat is fluffy. That's always a plus. Now Sehun understands why people have pets in the first place. They're a great therapy and sooth mind like a mother soothing your hair when you were a kid, when you had a fever.

Mother, Sehun wonders again. His mother... Mothers... Are dead. He shuts his eyes tighter and falls in his thoughts, in the memories that hurt his heart.

_"What is it, Hunnie? Why are you crying?" a gentle voice of a woman asks. The small boy raises his head and shows his teary eyes to his mother he then didn't know wasn't his real mother. He tries to hide his tears, or dry them, but can't._

_That's when the lady crouches on his level and takes a hold of his shoulders, smiling a bit to the small one. Sehun just cries louder._

_"I forgot Pinku Pinku in Joohyun's house", he sobs. She closes him in her warm embrace and Sehun gently wraps arms around her too. "...Let's go get him..."_

_"Aww baby it's already 10PM... We cannot go to Joohyun's place anymore. She's already sleeping and her parents are too", the mother tries to calm him down but Sehun stomps his foot on the hard floor._

_"I can't sleep without Pinku Pinku!"_

_"What if you slept with umma? How about that? We'll get Pinku Pinku tomorrow and tonight you can sleep right next to me."_

_Sehun sniffles silently. He doesn't scream like that anymore, slowly calms down and stays quiet before whispering, "Okay."_

_The mother raises him on her arms and smiles a bit. She starts making her way to the bedroom, shushing the boy in her arms. In that night, she sings a lullaby to him so beautiful he'll never forget it._

She always smiled. She was always calm. Sometimes, she was mad, too. Sehun really feared for his life every time she yelled at him. He was seven years old at that time and a huge crybaby. Sometimes Sehun wonders, where is Joohyun now or is she anywhere. Weird though, she was three years older than Sehun but still his friend. She was already ten and a big girl, but to Sehun she was just like his big sister who took care of him. Guess she left when puberty hit her.

She should be one year younger than Luhan now.

Sehun's expression has turned to really troubled as he lays on the couch, his eyes shut and mind drifting some place else. His eyes are teary.

Steps coming towards his way make him open his eyes. His heart beats rapidly and breath stays in his throat. Head hurts. Luhan looks down at him with sorrow in his eyes.

"...Are you okay?" he wonders as he crouches on the floor right next to the couch and almost places a hand on the other's shoulder before remembering that he doesn't bear touch. Not yet. "I heard your crying."

Sehun narrows his eyes as he looks at the man next to him. He had no idea he started to cry out loud and Mister Cat is not even on his chest anymore. Was the flashback... A dream?

"...I'm sorry", he simply replies and shuts his eyes again.

Luhan looks at his peaceful body laying on the couch but his mind is nowhere near peaceful, calm, resting. It's wandering and restless.

Slowly, gently, he places his hand on the other's shoulder to see what's his reaction. Sehun's eyes fly open in a second and his head turns slowly to see the older's eyes. Luhan looks at him with gentle eyes, with those that want to make him feel comfortable.

Sehun's gaze is nowhere near comfortable and he seems a bit anxious. Just a simple touch of his shoulder. He really despises touches.

The older gently starts to sooth his shoulder and arm in a calming manner to make the younger relax. Sehun still looks at him anxiously.

"...It's been... Not very long. Only a couple of weeks since you came here and I understand if you don't still like me being around yo-"

"No", Sehun interrupts as he turns on his side, to properly look at the man in the eyes and instead of keeping the hand on his shoulder, he takes it in his hand and holds onto it, interlacing their fingers. Luhan looks at him with a shocked expression. "I don't want to be alone. I'm just afraid that if I close my eyes, you turn out to be someone else and... You... You know..."

Luhan takes this time to solve what's going on in the other's head. In the back of his mind. But then there's just a hurricane so reading them is like trying to read a book when someone's turning the pages.

"I know", he replies. "Just calm down. I am Luhan. I am your friend. I am one of the forces. You can close your eyes."

Sehun takes a moment to hesitate before closing his eyes shut. He's really tired and his body still isn't fully healed from all the pain. Luhan smiles a bit to him. He wants to make the other calm, to get in his mind. Trick he always uses on people. But a good way to find out does he make people uncomfortable. The perfect way of persuasion.

"I am Luhan... I am not going to hurt you... I just want you to heal... I want to find the other ten forces with you, so we can bring this all to an end, so we can have... Something else after all this... I want to see you smile just once. I know you can do anything if you just believe in yourself. And... I need to ask you something... What would you lose if you now trusted in me with your whole life?"

Those words make Sehun comfortable enough to hug his hand like his life depended on it. Who knows, maybe someday his life really depends on Luhan's hand. And, what would there be to lose anyways?

The police smiles a bit to the other. How could he not notice it before that the younger is so beautiful? He did not know one of the forces could be as pretty as him. He doesn't even know if the other members are men or women.

Time flies too quickly when staring at one's face. Luhan shakes his head. He probably stared at Sehun for ten whole minutes. And now he has to make sure to get his hand off of the other's embrace without waking him up.

How could he live in the same house with a person he feels attracted to? He might think someone looks good, might even bring them home and have another one-night stand, but never has he really felt anything in his heart.

He has never felt the strong feeling of wanting to protect someone. He gets up and takes some papers from the sofa table. List of names and phone numbers his coworker left for him. This was the thing he was looking for, and Sehun didn't even say a word. Maybe he didn't know what Luhan was looking for.

The older walks back to his office. Mister Cat has made himself a place to sleep, right on all of Luhan's reports on his desk. The man narrows his eyes when looking at his cat sleeping there all mighty.

The office is pretty messy too. He has a simple bookcase right next to the entrance and a window on the wall across from it. Under the window is a desk and a computer as well as a laptop. Because Luhan likes video games, he also has a Playstation in the living room and he uses it kind of often. Right now he's too focused on finding the forces and doing his job so he doesn't have the time to play video games.

Papers are laying on the floor. Luhan should probably clean his office sometimes so he would find things he's looking for in there.

He looks back at the boy sleeping on the couch as he stands in the doorway. He has the piece of paper in his hands but at the moment, watching Sehun peacefully is much more interesting.

Back to work, back to his desk. He has too many numbers and names on the piece of paper. Some of these should know some things about the forces. Because Luhan couldn't directly ask about those things, he just wanted numbers of some bosses of some organizations he's been searching. He's been searching for every clue that there is, every single little detail and finally he got the names from his coworker.

The clues? He searched every crime register and the victims, the reasons for the crime and the accusations. He knows the people who want his head on a plate. Or his body on an examination table. He knows people who know something about the forces and now he has to find them, ask them about the members and force them to tell. Sure there should be an organization trying to help them, or maybe just a single person, but not yet has Luhan found it, him or her.

He looks at his table. Laptop is closed on the edge of the table, the computer is on. He has a file there. Should be open it?

The Twelve Forces. Nobody knows anything about them. They're a myth. A legend. And people investigating it are accused for being crazy.

That's it! Luhan jumps up from his realization and a big wide smile spreads on his face.

The mental hospital. That's where the crazies are. That's where he finds the crazy people who will tell him if they've seen a person maybe teleport, disappearing right before their eyes or fly in the skies. But how to differ the truth from psychosis and schizophrenia, he doesn't exactly know. However this lead is the best he has.

Luhan quickly looks back in the living room when hearing some whining from there. The boy trembles on the couch, his body tremors rapidly and his head is shaking from left to right.

The police officer quickly runs to him in the living room and shakes him from his shoulders to wake him up.

"Sehun! Sehun!" he yells but the said person keeps shaking his head and tries to hit Luhan's hands away. "Wake up, Sehun!"

The boy's eyes start to water when he opens them in a second and gasps for air, as if someone was drowning him and he now got up. He looks at the other, exhausted, gasping for air and sweating horribly. Luhan looks at his eyes with worry.

"...What... What happened...?" he wonders. Sehun looks at him straight in the eyes with fear.

"...Thank you..." he whispers. Luhan looks at him with wondering eyes but stays quiet. He doesn't know what to say anymore. If he could, he would hug the latter to make him calm down, but he figures it might do the exact opposite. So he decides to stay quiet and only look at the boy crying before him, waiting for the sudden nightmare to finally stop inside his head.


	6. Someone Like You

Late night and the fourth week of being together in the same house. The two are sitting on the couch and watching a movie. It's very late and even the coke bottle is already empty. Only light lighting up the room is the TV screen.  


Luhan's plan was to go to the mental hospital, but not quite yet. First he has to find the right patient to interrogate and make some arrangements so the nurses would let him in and see the patient. With police's badge many doors are open, however, but with the job also comes great responsibility and he doesn't have the time to continue his own investigations. So he needs Sehun's help.

The movie they're watching is a sad drama but at this hour of the evening, neither if them have the heart to cry over it. They're just simply staring at the screen blankly.

Sehun looks at the TV with half lidded eyes and yawns a bit. He's really tired but doesn't want to go to sleep in his own room quite yet. So he ends up shifting a bit closer to the older one on the other side of the couch. Luhan is focusing too deeply on the movie so he doesn't notice Sehun's sneaky acts.

The younger shifts even more closer and closer, till he's close enough to rest his head on Luhan's shoulder while a small smile raises on his lips. The older quickly looks at him with shocked expression on his face, but that too turns to a smile. Gently, he raises his arm to rest it on Sehun's waist, hoping the other lets him.

For both of their surprise, Sehun doesn't feel uncomfortable about it. He even likes it, being embraced by someone. It's been so long since anyone properly held him, already eight months. Maybe he'll get through it, or maybe he never will. At least he hopes he does, for the sake of himself and Luhan, this man who's been nothing but nice to him. 

The rest of the movie is something neither of them pays attention to. Luhan keeps focusing on the other's pulse more than what's happening in the movie. Sehun himself is in the edge of falling asleep.

Luckily, the end of the movie comes sooner than later and Luhan can shut off the TV. He looks at the younger next to him and smiles to him when realizing he's in deep sleep.

So he decides to take this as his advantage. He really doesn't want to go to bed and doesn't want to carry Sehun to the bed, so he lays down on the couch and raises Sehun a bit so the latter's head rests on his chest. He wraps his arms around the younger one and smiles a bit to himself when getting to hold the other so near. Hopefully he doesn't want to kill Luhan when he wakes up or anything as dramatic.

It's so silent and dark, but when getting to keep someone so near to your heart, it's not that horrible.

 

 

The morning wakes up the two of them. Luhan stirs his eyes as he tries to blink them clear to fully wake up. The morning sun is greeting the two behind the curtains and torturing Luhan's eyesight. The Sunday morning.

But when hearing some mumbling, he opens his eyes fully. Sehun is laying on his chest still, but now shaking his head again rapidly. Another nightmare, Luhan figures.

He takes a hold of the younger's shoulders and tries to shake him awake.

"Sehun, wake up. Sehun", he tries to tell to the shivering one on him. Sehun still shakes his head, but when Luhan quickly sits up and takes the younger one in his embrace, he opens his eyes with a hard gasp of air.

Pair of warm muscular arms make Sehun really powerless again but also make his nightmare vision away. Again, like finding the surface after almost drowning.

They both know what was Luhan's promise. He promised he wouldn't touch Sehun the way the other would feel uncomfortable with. Does Sehun feel uncomfortable? Not really.

Luhan places his head on the crook of Sehun's neck and breathes in his scent with a calm pace. The younger is a bit horrified of the situation and the other's breath against his neck. He looks at his back when also placing his own head on the older's shoulder and leaning on him.

Luhan starts to draw comforting circles on Sehun's back but doesn't know is it exactly comforting the other, or doing the exact opposite. Sehun neither does know as he only stares at the other's back, totally lost. It's been so long since anyone held him close. Anyone who didn't want to hurt him. Anyone whose embrace was warm like the sunlight passing the curtains.

The hand on his back stops moving and Sehun is a bit dumbfounded by it. And also that Luhan pulls back a bit.

"...I'm sorry..." he apologizes with a small voice. The younger shakes his head and snuggles on him a bit better. "...I know you don't... I mean... I know you can't..."

"...It's okay", Sehun replies silently. "It's not that I can avoid people forever..."

"...Can... Can I...?" Luhan asks gently. The younger nods only a bit. That's when the other pulls him back in a tight hug and soothes his back comfortably. Sehun unconsciously raises his arms to wrap them around Luhan's neck, bringing him even closer. Just the two of them, and it's the perfect warmth. The older smiles a bit in the hug. He just wants the younger to feel warm, normal and loved like everyone should.

"...Luhan... Thank you", he says silently while snuggling on him a bit better, a bit closer. Some day he can smile again. The older feels like this is an achievement when he made the other feel good about himself. He's never really accomplished that task on anyone's case, so it feels exceptionally good.

Sunday morning and a day off, Luhan now needs a cup of coffee.

 

 

Luhan hasn't been normal... ever. Sehun has already found out in the first month that the older does sometimes act a bit weird. It's not that he's different from the Chinese, but around Sehun he's a bit...

Well, like he was having a gigantic crush on him. That does trouble Sehun. He's not entirely sure how to feel about it. It would be really awkward and rude if he asked something like that anyway. What could he say? Ask if he's straight or having a gigantic crush on Sehun?

_Is it kind of obvious though...?_ Sehun wonders when thinking about Luhan who Sehun has caught staring at him more than once, from head to toes, all his body. And when the older notices the other staring at him with narrowed eyes, he flushes bright red and walks away to his office. _Isn't it kind of selfish to think someone likes you...?_

Usually the boy doesn't think everyone, anyone, likes him. Usually he doesn't think he's that special to earn anyone's love but in the reality, he just wants someone to love him. And Luhan is very hot and good-looking, also generous and kind, so he wouldn't be a bad choice. Sehun would lose nothing.

Speaking of the devil, Luhan walks to the living room with junk food in a paper bag. He just came from work and stopped by a fast food restaurant to get him and Sehun something to eat. He's still in his uniform, why change when he looks totally hot in it?

No, really he's just very tired and lazy.

Sehun stares at the man who throws his feet on the sofa table and takes a plate of french fries in his hands, taking a bite out of one. The other food is just resting on the table, a bit away from his feet.

The police notices the stare and looks back at the boy who looks really lost and troubled. Luhan waves his hand before the other's face .

Sehun narrows his eyes. In his mind he's wondering is the other straight or not. For a homosexual he seems kinda untidy. But Luhan reads the situation quickly. He always reads the other's mind and the latter knows it. That's why he keeps staring at him.

The older looks back at the TV screen and falls in his thoughts, even if the other keeps staring at him.

"To your question", Luhan starts with a sigh. Sehun sits better to hear his answer. "Yes. I am gay."

Now that's a way to make the other almost smile. Almost. Just, almost. Not quite because meaning he's gay doesn't mean he likes him, but when has Sehun liked Luhan anyways? Why would he want Luhan to like him?

"...I am too", the younger replies silently when also looking back at the TV. Even if it almost rose a smile on Sehun's lips, it raises a big grin on the older's lips. Having a crush on a straight guy would most likely be the most horrible thing ever, good thing Luhan hasn't experienced that.

Sehun narrows his eyes when looking at the weird grin on the other's lips.

"Why are you smiling like that?" he wonders. Luhan quickly drops the grin from his face and a dark shade of red replaces it. It is a bit embarrassing, especially when the younger pointed it out.

To hide his embarrassment, Mister Cat comes to rescue. He walks from the kitchen with his tail up in the air, waving it like a king. That arrogant look on his face says that he just messed up all the things in the kitchen and licked the butter that was left on the table as well as the sausages.

But Mister Cat is such a savior, helping his owner from the embarrassment he's faced by walking to the living room and purring on his feet. Luhan quickly bends down to pet him.

"Oh you cutie did you have a nice day here with Sehun and Miss yeah I bet you did but really I have to take you to the vet before I get more little kitties running around the house", the police awkwardly laughs while petting his grey cat who has no idea what he's talking about. Poor kitty.

Sehun sighs and takes the other plate of french fries from the paper bag as well as a bottle of coke. Luhan usually doesn't eat this unhealthily but he's really tired and didn't have time to think about what to eat so he went to the first shop he saw.

"How's the research?" the younger asks suddenly when sitting upright on the couch. Luhan slowly looks back at him and raises his eyebrows for the question. "You know, for finding the forces."

The older sits better on the couch and looks back at the TV screen. He takes the food back in his hands. Mister Cat jumps on his lap, purring in bliss.

"It... It's... Well, actually I have found a clue. We just have to go to the mental hospital, but for finding the right person to interrogate, I have to make some research", he tells honestly. Sehun nods slightly, even if the other doesn't even look at him. "I could always use some help."

"I know", the younger starts. "That's why I went through some of your papers and arranged some things as well as called to the place, introduced myself as you and got the patient profiles."

Now that's a way to make Luhan's eyes really widen and drop his fry from his mouth on Mister Cat.

"...You... Did... What...?" he asks as if he didn't hear the other. Sehun slowly looks back at him in the eyes and blinks a few times in an innocent manner.

"Her name is Kim Areum. She's been diagnosed to have a schizophrenia. She got it from her father. Reason why she got there is that she claimed that she saw a man getting years older in a second till he died. Doesn't that sound like a person we're looking for?" Sehun wonders. Luhan narrows his eyes.

"...And you just used my computer, my phone, went through my papers in my office, without my permission?" The younger blushes a bit as he looks down at the ground.

"...I... I thought I did you a favor..."

"You did", Luhan replies quickly back before the other feels bad for helping him out. His gaze collides with the ground. "Thank you, Sehun, but... I need to ask for your help a bit more."

Now we're talking, Sehun thinks as he raises his head to see the other's gaze but it's on the ground, and says, "Help with what?"

"...With all of this. This is much bigger mission than any of my cases in the station", Luhan explains as his eyes meet the other's. The perfect couple of small black eyes. Sometimes, Luhan really forgets what's supposed to be said when he just finds himself staring at the other or reading his emotions, maybe he's thinking about Luhan at least sometimes?

Just, could he at least once catch him thinking about Luhan?

Sehun waves his hand before the older's face and glares at him, "Hello?"

"Oh!" Luhan snaps out of it and shakes his head rapidly. "Oh... What was I saying?"

"About me helping you with something."

"Oh, right! I need your help gathering the forces. And I want you to come with me to the hospital", Luhan explains in a rush. Sehun nods a few times.

"I'll do anything to help you gather up the forces", he says as he falls back on the couch and stares at the TV screen once again while taking one fry from his plate. Luhan stares at him and smiles a bit. Maybe someday, he's not just another member of the forces for Sehun. Or maybe someday, he stops dreaming about the other.


	7. Nervous & Insecure

"Officer Lu Han from Seoul police department and..." Luhan looks at the man standing beside him while narrowing his eyes. Sehun glances back at him, totally lost at what he's looking for. "...Oh Sehun, my assistant."

The woman in the reception looks at both of them alternatively. She doesn't look so sure of what the two are doing in here, why does a cop need an assistant, and Luhan can notice that.

"He's helping me with the investigation because he's the friend of the victim." He reads the lady's mind again and she wonders, it's like he had read her mind. She doesn't know it's exactly what he did, and that will have to stay that way. "We would like to visit Kim Areum."

"Okay, I see what I can do", she says and goes on her computer to see some things. Sehun called the place so she and the boss should know that they were looking for her because of an investigation. Too bad Luhan doesn't have the captain's orders or permission to do what he's doing.

The lobby is quite nice of a hospital. They're standing in Seoul National Hospital's psychiatric center and waiting to see Miss Kim. The place is huge and it would be really easy to get lost. That's why Sehun keeps holding Luhan's hand. He doesn't want to find himself in the other side of the building wandering alone if he loses the other from his eyesight.

"Okay. You've got an appointment. I'll take you to her room", she says as she gets up from her seat. Luhan flashes her a smile, and makes the lady almost faint. When reading her mind again, he realizes she's totally fascinated about him. Not that much about Sehun, maybe she likes Chinese ulzzangs more.

"Great", he says back. She keeps her poker face even if Luhan can hear her squealing in her mind.

They walk down a hallway with lots of doors. Sehun makes sure to keep holding onto the other's hand. Even if he'd be just two steps away from the older, it would be too far away.

"Here", she stops at the very last door and points at it. "You have fifteen minutes. No more. Just ask her what you need to know, but make sure not to stress her."

With those words she opens the door and leaves the two alone in there with a lady who's sitting on the bed and drawing something. Luhan looks at her sadly, but Sehun is a bit lost. He's just too afraid of the whole place.

The police walks next to the bed and crouches a bit to see her better. Sehun stays at the door, leaving Luhan's hand. He's also a bit afraid of the lady and her disease.

"Hello, Areum-ssi", the police greets. "My name is Lu Han, I am a police officer from Seoul police department. My friend here is Oh Sehun. It's nice to meet you."

She doesn't seem too happy about their visit. She stays quiet. The lady has long black silky hair that cover her face.

"You didn't come here to chit chat with me", Areum points out and slowly turns to see the man next to her bed. "What do you want?"

Luhan gulps. Her eyes are really horrifying, black as the night, deep as the ocean, but glassy like no emotion was under them. Tired of all the feelings. He tries to calm himself down however.

"Well, we would like to ask you about... About the man you saw four months ago", Luhan explains. Areum looks really unamused by this question, and neither of the men understand why.

"I said to police many times that Mister Jung hadn't disappeared", her voice creaks. "But who would believe an old lady claiming to see a man rotting in seconds, finally achieving the point that he turned to dust, one with the ground again?"

Luhan looks at her with sad eyes. Sehun now walks a bit closer. This lady truly saw what happened, but does she know anything more about it? The two really hope so, or otherwise visiting here was a waist of time.

"Did you know Mister Jung?" the police wonders. To that Areum utters a small scary laughter, smirking on the other side of his lips.

"I was a cleaner at his company. We had a fair his wife knew nothing about." Luhan raises his eyebrows at this. This makes things a lot easier for him and Sehun.

"Was there someone else you saw when you saw him... aging?" At this point Areum lets out a sigh.

"There was a man", she states. "It looked like he took a hold of his body and... just like that... he kept getting older and older... pleading for the man to stop it... but so cold-bloodedly he kept on holding onto Mister Jung... silently murdered him..." Her voice cracks and tears start to dwell in her eyes.

Luhan glances back at the younger man who's staring at the lady in shock, eyes widened open. The police is quick to realize that these kinds of things might upset him. Death, mainly.

"...I'm sorry to hear that but... can you describe what he looked like?"

"I never saw his face. He had a black hoodie and he was tall. He had covered his face... It's been so long... so long since he... Why are you investigating it now...?" Areum wonders. Luhan nods a few times showing that he understood.

"This is not a normal investigation. This is something I myself felt troubled with and wanted to take to the end. I do believe in you, Areum-ssi, and I really want to catch the killer for the sake of our citizens' safety", Luhan explains. There is some truth in that sentence, Luhan does want to find the killer and for the sake of everyone's safety. That brings a small smile on her lips.

"You're a good man... so responsible", she says while nodding silently.

"Do you know anyone who wanted Mister Jung dead?"

"...He was a rich man. Most people just wanted his money, not him dead."

"...Since he passed away, who got the money? His wife?" Areum utters a laughter to that.

"Oh she hung herself before he died. I saw her body swinging in the bathroom of the company. I screamed." Luhan narrows his eyes. He doesn't understand what's so funny about that.

"You've witnessed a lot of death."

"Much more, officer." Sometimes Luhan feels really troubled about the people he has to work with, but in police duty pure ignorance and avoidance have saved him from a lot of headaches. These things are something that shouldn't stay in a cop's head.

"...So, who got the money?"

"His son." Her eyes are cold. Word about Mister Jung and she's teary, word about someone else and she's smiling like a creeper. Luhan figures she really liked Mister Jung.

"Where can I find him? How can I contact him?"

"He doesn't really tell his phone number to a lot of people, but to cute boys like you two..." she starts and smirks to the two as they both raise their eyebrows.

"...You mean...?"

"Yup. He's as straight as cooked spaghetti." She laughs to the shocked expressions of the two. "If you want to find him, go to the underground gay bar _Blue Dragon_ on Friday or Saturday night. He's usually there. Now if you want him to actually notice you, he likes every hair color except black and brown. It's too mainstream he says. You have to look different from the mass and he will most likely ask his bodyguard to get you."

Luhan narrows his eyes when the lady's eyes land on Sehun.

"Oh and you, Sehun was it?" she asks. The boy nods slightly. "He likes tall and skinny ones. Model-like. So, my guess is he will like you more than this officer." Luhan almost frowns. Come on, he's a lot more hotter than Sehun...

Okay really he doesn't want anyone to touch Sehun.

But what can you do.

The younger boy blushes a bit. She's too open about the topic. He doesn't exactly want to do any kind of... stuff with Mister Jung's son. Not that he wanted with anyone.

The receptionist comes to the room to see the two men around the bed, interrogating Kim Areum. She smiles to the police immediately and Luhan smiles back. Her thoughts are too obvious for the man, and actually he thinks it's kind of funny. Poor girl.

"Your time is over. Come again next week if you need to", she says. The men nod. Luhan gets up from the floor and Sehun is quick to find his hand again. Too scary this whole place.

Now Luhan could imagine the receptionist and Miss Kim talking together, the younger lady sighing after Luhan how handsome and hot he is while the older laughing and telling her the police is gay. Miss Kim totally knows. Oh well.

They go to the entrance of the building to finally leave the place, not that they were there for very long. They stay silent while walking. Sehun is thinking too much about Blue Dragon Luhan can literally hear him. The thing itself is just too exciting... In a bad way.

When outside the building, he cannot keep all the insecurities in. He nudges on the older one's shirt and turns to him, a pleading look in his eyes. Luhan stops walking to show he's focusing on him and takes the latter's hands in his own.

"Luhan... I'm... Why can't we just call him...?" Sehun wonders. "Find his number and call him, say we're the police and want to interrogate him...?"

"Sehun", Luhan squeezes his hands gently and looks at him deep in the eyes. "We will go to that bar and find him. We, me or you, will seduce him. When we have a room for the two of us, then attack him and ask about his father and the man who killed him. And this is just a rudimentary plan."

Sehun really looks scared and pleading.

"Besides..." Luhan starts when seeing the fear in the other's eyes. "I've visited that place a couple of times and... Well, I might know who the guy is." Now Sehun's jaw drops.

"You have... what?"

"Well, I have a personal life, you know. Of course I check out guys in gay bars and hook up with them. What did you think?" Luhan wonders as he utters a laughter. Sehun narrows his eyes.

"...I... I didn't know you're that kind of a guy..." he states silently, making the older just smile widely. "...Why can't we just call the son...?"

"Well, if we called him and said this is police investigation, he might either refuse or run away if he has something to hide. Or, come up with lies. Besides, I don't want anyone in the station know what I'm doing. If we called him and asked for a private meeting and then hook up with him, he might do something perv or dangerous, in the bar he can do nothing to hurt us since we're in public."

"...Yeah, that makes sense..." Sehun whispers. He looks down and turns away from Luhan. He takes a few silent, calm steps forward. He really doesn't want Luhan to know these thoughts that are roaming in his mind. All about what happened to him.

The police walks quietly behind him, observing his shivering body. Sehun has raised his hands on his own chest and is now biting his nails anxiously.

"...You're afraid that it's you, aren't you?" Luhan asks. Sehun nods. He doesn't want any man to touch him again and especially hurt him the way Richard did. Just the thought of someone on top of him like that and opening up his pants is just too much for him. Sehun really hopes Luhan knows nothing about it. The older knows about the assault but he cannot even imagine all the harm it did to the other. "Don't worry, you don't have to go all the way. You don't have to give yourself to him. Get his attention, maybe make out a bit and when it's the time, use a drug on him. I will snatch the drug from the station. Then tie him up and ask him about his father, the money and the killer."

"That's it?" Sehun asks. "I don't think I can do such a thing. I'm not even a good kisser. What if I don't have a chance to use the drug and he will... Luhan I'm too afraid. I don't... I can't do it."

Sehun is practically freaking out just thinking about the situation, even if it's only Tuesday. Luhan quickly runs next to him and takes his hand in his to calm him down.

"What if we went three way?" Sehun whispers out a question. Luhan senses his nervousness. But the younger cannot tell Luhan he really can't seduce the man. He's too insecure because of what Richard did to him.

"I know you're afraid. Let's come up with a plan when we're home, okay?"

Sehun nods slightly, "Okay."

 

___________

 

_ A/N; The next time I update will be a double update, so, yay for that! _


	8. The Blue Dragon

"Luhan, I... I can't do it", Sehun freaks out. He and Luhan are standing before the bar. They would already be in there but Sehun is kind of keeping them in place. Luhan takes a hold of the younger's wide shoulders and tries to calm him down.

It's July and the weather is just lovely - even in the late evening. It's warm and that's why Sehun is only wearing jean mini shorts and a black t-shirt with v-line. He needs to look hot for Mister Jung to notice him. He even bleached his hair and dyed to silver to make a better expression and his eyes are rounded with black makeup, as well as Luhan's who put on a bit more clothes. He has white jeans and a black tank top with a leather jacket on top that he's now offering to the younger one.

The police pats Sehun's shoulders in a calming manner. He has no idea why Sehun really despises the idea of seducing that man so much. Luhan could do it without a problem - he could even pretend to be a bottom for this one night, even if he's usually the top - but they'll see which one he likes better. Luhan's skin is darker than Sehun's and he didn't even dye his hair - that's a thing they have banned in the police station. Luhan isn't as tall as Sehun, he doesn't have as nice ass as Sehun, he isn't as big from his front as Sehun. Plus, he's Chinese. He can always play the racism card.

So, compared to Luhan, Sehun really is perfect. The only problem is his attitude and the lack of knowledge about these things.

"Don't worry, it's gonna be fine", Luhan says with a calm voice, but that doesn't seem to help. Sehun looks really anxious. Like being a daughter who's sold to a man, this feels really wrong. "Sehun, please. This is our only lead. Our only way of finding any member of the forces. If the situation calls for it, just... Just scream. I'll be there in a flash of a lightning."

No matter how Luhan is trying, Sehun is having hard time to breathe. Though he's right - this is their only lead and Sehun needs to man up. He can't be afraid of people the rest of his life. But... it's still too early and the moments will play in his mind forever.

"I'll buy you bubble tea when it's done", Luhan states with a small smile. Sehun furrows his eyebrows. Well, at least it's a date with Luhan if he succeeds. "Do you remember our plan?"

"...Yeah, sure..." Sehun nods rapidly and anxiously, looking down at the ground. "I'll make him notice me, seduce him, go to the backroom and drug him before he does anything to me."

"Exactly. Now come, baby", Luhan says as he takes the younger's hand in his own. He starts to walk down the stairs to the club. Sehun is a bit weirded out by this nickname. _Baby._ He doesn't know whether or not to like it. Even though coming out of Luhan's mouth, it's kinda arousing.

The place is blasting with music. Men are dancing and grinding on each other on the dance floor. Just seeing all this makes Sehun dizzy. He doesn't like these things others do. Drinking and hooking up is not really his thing. He always avoided people, but when seeing Luhan, he realizes he wouldn't have had to. Luhan doesn't avoid people, he's very outgoing.

The older keeps holding onto his hand as he takes him to the bar. A couple of shots might just encourage him.

"What can I get you, Luhan?" the bartender asks with a smile on his lips when he sees Luhan and his date. "Haven't seen you around in ages. This your new date?"

"Hi, Brandon", Luhan greets back as he sits down. Sehun sits on the stool next to Luhan. He really thought the older visited here less... Not that much he'd start talking with the bartender using first names. "This is Oh Sehun, and, well he's not exactly my date. We are actually looking for someone."

"And who might that someone be?" Brandon asks as he leans a bit closer to Luhan. He has a lot of tattoos, he's not very tall, kind of a freak with white skin and light brown hair. He knows everything there is to this bar.

"Jung Eunhyung. Do you know him?"

"Do I know him?" Brandon utters a laughter. "I've noticed you only go for the pitiful bottoms like me, Luhan. Mister Jung is one of the big names around here. He pays me well and he also pays prostitutes well. Why would you ask?"

"Well, my friend here..." Luhan starts but notices the bartender already checking him out. Sehun doesn't like it.

"Why give yourself to Mister Jung? You know I can make a great top, too", the bartender exclaims while winking to Sehun. "Or I can bottom, but I tell you something. Mister Jung doesn't bottom."

Sehun really despises this whole place. How could a dream like Luhan come here so often?

Uh, not that Sehun would think Luhan was a dream or anything.

"Thank you, Brandon, but I don't think Sehun wants to fuck with anyone. I'm not here as the Luhan who took you into his home. I'm here as the cop Lu." Now Brandon just narrows his eyes.

"Oh, this must be about his father, right? Well, go for it. He's sitting on the couches. Trust me, you'll notice him."

"Yeah yeah", Luhan says as he sits upright. "Could you serve my friend with something strong? I think he needs some encouragement."

"Of course." The bartender gets a shot glass on the table right before Sehun. He adds some alcohol in the shot from two bottles. His hands move so quickly Sehun can't keep track of them, he doesn't even know the brands or how strong they are, what kind of drinks they are. "Are you going to... You know?"

"No", Sehun replies immediately. Luhan gives Brandon money from the drink and utters a laughter to Sehun's dull reply. "I don't like this stuff... I don't do these kinds of things."

"It's gonna be fine. Mister Jung might be a pervert, but he has a good heart. He doesn't want you to get hurt." Well that's promising. Brandon just happens to notice some scars on Sehun's wrist. He points at them and looks at the boy in the eyes. "Show him those and he'll do anything you want."

"See, Sehun? We're the bad guys here." The younger rolls his eyes as he takes down the shot with one go. He's not drinking very frequently, so for the alcohol go up his head, he would need nothing but another shot. But this amount is just great. It burns his throat a bit and he scrunches his face from the feeling.

Luhan shifts closer to the boy and catches his eyes. People are looking at their way. Sehun looks all around himself. This is not okay.

"Let's go to the dance floor. I'll show you how you do it." Luhan takes the boy's hand in his and takes him to the center of the room. There is a sofa and on the sofa is sitting a man all mighty.

Luhan checks him out. He's hot. Weird. Usually rich guys here are just... rich and nothing else. He has a bodyguard. His hair are brown, even if he likes freaks. He has a nice dress, very casual. Lot of accessories.

The police nudges Sehun's sleeve and goes nearer to his ear to whisper, "It's him."

Sehun's blood rushes in his head immediately. His body shivers in a flash of a second. It's kind of scary.

"I can't do it, Luhan. He will hurt me. Please don't make me do it", he pleads. Luhan takes his hands in his and makes a comforting eye contact.

"Trust me, Sehun. You can do it. I believe you can. You don't have to do anything with him. Just don't freak out. Everything you do is okay as long as you get the answers."

"What if I don't?" Sehun almost cries. When he looks behind himself, he notices the guy on the sofa, Mister Jung, already checking out his ass. Sehun feels so used. He's not just a piece of sweet waiting for everyone to eat him up.

Luhan notices the situation. This is his chance. So he takes Sehun's hand in his and takes nearer the sofas.

When Sehun feels those hands on his booty, he already feels violated. He glares at the Chinese smirking to him and swinging his hips with the beat.

"Let's hope he really is into three way", Luhan winks to the younger one who's pretty much just standing there. But when Luhan almost grinds on his crotch with his own, he jumps a bit. "Come on, baby. Try and let yourself go."

Sehun leans a bit closer to the other to wrap arms around his neck and whisper to his ear, "How?"

"Like this", Luhan smirks when he grabs Sehun's hips and starts swinging them from side to side. "Don't be so stiff. Relax."

The younger nods a bit. He lets out a deep sigh as he starts dancing to the beat along with Luhan's moves. Somehow it does get more natural the more he dances and stops holding back. It's so dark but the dim light is enough for Sehun to blind his vision from everything else except for one. All he can see is the person in front of him - the perfect Chinese police officer with the brightest and cutest smile ever. Even the scars under that cover, the wounds in his heart are perfect enough for Sehun.

Luhan's smile is ever so bright. Even the hands Sehun feels on his hips don't feel so bad. When it's Luhan, it's okay. His black eyes have never looked so loving and small lips so tempting.

"...Luhan..." Sehun whispers his name. "...I..."

...Really like you?

A man stops them from doing anything. A man in a suit with sunglasses hiding his eyes. He takes a hold of Sehun's shoulder and the latter turns around immediately. Luhan is a bit disappointed by this. He really waited for something romantic to happen.

"Mister Jung wants to see you", the man says quietly to Sehun. The boy blinks a few times and glances back at Luhan who nods a few times to encourage him.

Sehun turns back to the man. Suddenly a kittenish playful smile takes over his face. Now to the real acting part. He has to do this. He can do this. The plan will go as expected and he won't be afraid anymore. He doesn't want to be afraid.

"Take me to him", he says in seductive way. The man nods and takes the boy's hand gently. And slowly they start making their way to the sofa. Sehun looks behind himself to see Luhan. The older follows them as the younger mouths _'Help me.'_

Luhan waves his hand as if trying to tell it's gonna be okay. Sehun doesn't believe it though. The police walks nearer the sofas, right next to them actually. There's a lonely hot guy dancing alone, trying to find a date. Of course Luhan takes this as his chance to stalk Sehun. He goes to the man and checks him out from head to toes. The guy is kind of mesmerized that a hot dude like Luhan walks to him.

"You alone here?" he asks with a smirk. The man smiles shyly and nods a bit. "Really? It's hard to believe that a beauty like you would ever be alone. People must be surrounding you, you must be lying to me." The man utters a small laughter by this compliment. Guys are always melting before Luhan. So are girls.

Meanwhile Sehun glances at him. A sudden heartache hits him. Jealousy, is it? It's all just act, but Sehun's heart won't buy it.

The bodyguard walks behind the sofa. And there Sehun stands, before Mister Jung. He truly is much hotter than he had imagined and up close. Eunhyung smiles to him as he checks him out from head to toes. So scary. But he has to play his cards well, which means being a little slut he isn't.

Or maybe just being himself.

Okay well the seductive smile he creates on his face totally isn't his. He walks to the sofa to sit next to the Mister. He clings on his arm and nudges it cutely, making the man chuckle. He turns a bit to face Sehun properly, to pet his silky silver hair.

"What's your name, baby?" he asks with a husky voice. Sehun is scared already.

"Sehun... My name is Sehun."

"Wow, a beautiful name to its beautiful owner", the man smiles while caressing Sehun's cheek. "You can call me Eunhyung."

Sehun smiles again but now a bit more shyly. His heart is really dying by now. He would want to run away as quickly as he could but there's not a chance. He just wants back in Luhan's arms he didn't know he missed already. In those arms where he feels like he belongs. In this man's arms... Never.

Sehun suddenly notices Eunhyung's eyes wandering on his body.

"Don't mind me, just admiring the view", he says as he looks up at Sehun's eyes. The latter smiles a bit before uttering a cute laughter and looking down.

"...You're so good with your words... I'm sorry... I really suck at this... I don't do this so often..."

Jung takes a hold of his chin and raises his head up. Sehun's eyes are met with his. He's too damn close, but he really tries to look hot. He succeeds, Sehun admits it, but he wants back to Luhan right now. In the arms he belongs to.

"You're not very experienced?" Jung asks with a sly smirk. Sehun shakes his head immediately. "I can teach you."

Sehun would say no, but he has to go with a small chuckle and pretend to be flustered when really he's just really disgusted. Eunhyung however seems to like this. So he likes shy inexperienced ones. Pervert.

The man makes an intense eye contact. That just makes Sehun feel smaller. Luhan who's watching in the distance notices how natural Sehun is - natural as in the shy insecure boy he is. And the man likes it.

Eunhyung leans closer to Sehun's lips and seals their mouths together in a kiss. Sehun tries not to be nauseated but that really is the situation. The man doesn't wait for Sehun - he starts to lick over the other's bottom lip. Sehun has no other options than to open his mouth and try to catch up with the man whose hands are wandering all over his body.

The man pulls back to lean closer to Sehun's ear.

"What if we went to the backroom and took this to end back there?" he asks with a seductive voice. Sehun smiles in a playful way as he already gets up the sofa. Eunhyung is quick to get up too and take his hand in his.

When being led to the backroom, Sehun quickly looks back. All his fear is plastered on his face as he tries to catch Luhan's eye. He finds the police looking at him with sadness in his eyes. Sehun is pleading as he mouths again to repeat, _'Help me.'_

Luhan just pats his pocket, meaning the drug in Sehun's own pocket. He nods a few times. Luhan thumbs up to him but then suddenly the man he's dancing with attacks his neck. The police is startled by it but manages to send a small flying kiss in his way. Sehun smiles a bit to it. Only a bit. Hopefully it encourages him enough to do what he has to.

Soon the door is closed. The backroom is kind of nice. There's a couch and even lube and condoms waiting on a desk. The smell of testosterone is just horrifying Sehun almost passes out by it. There's some background music, some piano and violin music so silence would never catch up on them.

Eunhyung walks to the couch when holding Sehun's hand. The latter doesn't want to sit on it. He's just wondering how many guys have been fucked on that thing.

Sehun's insecurities don't really matter to the one who practically throws him on the couch. Hold your horses, Sehun was not ready for that. Neither is he ready for the man to invade his privacy by sticking himself between Sehun's bare shins.

This is not okay. Sehun's heart is already thumping out of his chest and his head thudding. He can't help but to think about those nights.

"Is there a specific way you want to do it?"

Well, Sehun doesn't want to do it. Does that count?

He ends up gulping.

"Just... Regular way", he states and curses himself for breaking his voice. "I'm kind of new, so I don't want to do anything weird or kinky."

That's enough for the man to already attack his neck. Sehun holds his breath without even realizing. Eunhyung raises his shirt to play around with his nipples while marking his chest. Sehun lets out small whimpers.

Somehow moving is just very hard. He can't feel his legs nor his upper body. Maybe it's his body's way of protecting him from getting hurt again? To feel numb.

When the man's hand lowers down to Sehun's crotch and starts to touch him, trying to bring his erection to life, Sehun almost lets out a sob. This is much harder than he thought. All he can think of is Richard and the wrong way he touched him. The wrong way that hurt him.

His hands shake as he raises them around the man's neck and tries to fake a _pleasured_ moan. He lowers his hand as Eunhyung's head lowers to his stomach. Sehun bucks his hips up, but only to get the drug. It's his only escape from this horrible situation. He lets out a few desperate sobs as he reaches for the drug in his pocket.

The man knowing nothing about it only tenses up when feeling a needle in his neck. Sehun pushes down the whole dose of it. A few seconds and the man is limb and Sehun is a crying wreck. He breathes in a quick pace as he holds on to the man for a while before throwing his body off of him and letting out a loud sob.

_The pain... Leave me alone._


	9. In Between

Sehun smacks the man's cheek when he's still trying to revive from the drug. The drug made his body limb, so he's laying on the couch, a knife pressed to his neck. Sehun looks down at him arrogantly. His eyes show no mercy, but also a really strong crying session he's just revived from. True all that. He will never let anyone between his legs again.

Mister Jung is a bit taken aback. He looks at Sehun with his eyebrows raised.

"Woah... What's this about...? Why can't I move my body?" he asks. Sehun swallows a lump from his throat so his voice wouldn't break.

"I gave you a drug... I have questions for you", he says with hesitation. Mister Jung narrows his eyes.

"Questions?"

"Yes. About your father."

"Oh not this again", the man sighs in annoyance. "Are you a cop? Why is your hand shaking so much?"

Sehun purses his lips together to keep in any kind of embarrassing noises. Maybe it would also hold back his tears.

"I'm... Not with the police... Does the name The Twelve Forces say anything to you?" Sehun tries to stay focus when the other man is analyzing him and reading his emotions like an open book. You don't need to be Luhan to notice all the things happening in one's mind.

"The Twelve Forces? Can't say it does."

"Do you know who killed your father?"

Why, the man threatened with a knife, looks at Sehun so sadly?

"...Why is your hand so unsteady?"

"Just tell me who the fuck killed your father!" Sehun snaps suddenly. It does startle the man a bit, but he stays calm.

"You won't kill me, I know it. You wouldn't get out of this if you did. Not that I would mind." His black eyes look at Sehun's shivering body from head to toes. Sehun curses in his mind. Why is this man not afraid of him and the knife pressed on his throat? "You're shivering. I noticed how tense you were when I kissed your neck."

Sehun holds the knife harder to his throat, but the man is calm. That really annoys him. His eyes are getting red again and he doesn't like it.

"You have wrist slits. I noticed them. Battle scars. You wanted to die." The way he reads Sehun is very annoying. The boy's hand shivers and his breathing gets irregular. Quick paced. "What are the marks on your hips? Someone grabbed you really harshly from there. Poor baby. What did he do to you?"

Now Sehun looks at him in shock. The man looks really apologetic, his eyes full of compassion. The boy draws the knife and bursts into tears. He falls on the ground.

"You were raped. I know the marks when I see them all over again."

Sehun cries on the floor while hiding his face and hugging his knees. How could the man notice it immediately?

"...Please... Just tell me the reason your father needed to be dead and who did it... Please... This is my only way of finding the forces..."

"...Why do you want to find them...?"

"...Please... They're the only ones who can help me..."

"Help with what?"

"I told you too much already", Sehun cries on the floor. This is all too much for him. The man's eyes are full of compassion. It's... weird, to say the least.

"...Well... Since you were honest with me... I'll be honest with you", he starts, earning Sehun's attention fully. The boy looks up at him as a single sob escapes his lips. "My father has a crapload of money. And, now it's mine. Isn't it obvious I know who killed him?"

Sehun blinks a few times in an innocent manner. The man smiles to him gently. Did that drug have some tranquilizer too?

"I hated him since I was a child. So I wanted him out of my way. Now all he owned is mine, since mom hung herself. I never saw her body. She had a lot of problems, depression, anxiety and insomnia. Stress overtook her. So she killed herself. It was only me and my father. So I told a prostitute-gigolo how I hate him and want his money, practically crying as I told him my life story", Mister Jung tells to Sehun who's now sitting up straight and looks at him in the eyes. The man is so calm it looks funny. Guess Sehun isn't very convincing.

"...What happened then...?" the boy asks with big red eyes. The Mister utters a laughter.

"You look so cute. Such a shame you weren't here for... me", he says. Sehun pulls back and shakes his head. He would never want to have sex with a person he doesn't know. He's totally different from Luhan. "But, I guess you don't want any guys to come onto you, I understand. So, I told the guy about my father and my life. He offered me a way to get rid of my father if I just paid him a little bit extra. I said it's okay, and paid him. How he did it or did he do it himself, I don't know. I didn't ask. I was just happy that my father was lying dead."

This pains the boy a bit. He still listens eagerly, but then he has to get an answer to this one question. He takes out his phone and opens the notebook.

"What was his name? How can I find him?"

"Baby, anywhere. Except his home. I have his number. I can give it to you. Settle a place you want the miracles to happen and be there with his money. He will come fifteen minutes late or never if you're not trustworthy or alone."

"Lot of preparation for a prostitute."

"He doesn't trust people. You're cute and easy to trust to, I believe he will come to you in one go. Sometimes you can never really catch him. As I said, he doesn't trust."

"Can you give me his number now? And tell his name?"

"All you have to do is call this number", the man exclaims. He says the numbers as Sehun writes it on his phone to his notebook.

"How do I know you're not shitting me?"

"You don't. That's why you have to call him. If he replies with his name, Huang Zitao, you know it's him. If you ask him anything more than just the meeting place and time, he won't answer."

Sehun nods a bit in hesitation. The man just lays on the couch when looking up at the boy who's practically breaking down, still teary.

"Trust me, Sehun. I don't want you to get more hurt than you already are."

So very distressing. Sehun lets out a loud sob as he places his hand on the doorknob. Now to keep all those tears in. He opens the door quietly. He doesn't look up at the bodyguard. Hopefully Mister Jung won't say anything about what Sehun did to him.

Holding tears is much easier said than done. When out of the man's sight, he lets out a broken loud sob. His eyes... red. He looks up. Where's Luhan?

Slowly he's making his way into the human mass. And where the fuck is Luhan? Right now Sehun would want nothing more than to cuddle with him on the couch again, be held by him. It felt amazing. He wants Luhan now.

Sehun tries to look at the bar. He isn't there. Not even with Brandon. On the dance floor... Negative. Where can he be?

Someone touches Sehun's shoulder from behind. He jumps up a bit by this and immediately turns around to see Luhan's compassion-filled face. Needless to say Luhan is overtaken by worry as he sees Sehun sobbing, crying his heart out as tears flow down his cheeks, smudging his black makeup.

"Luhan..."

"Did he do something to you?" the police asks in a second. To hell with the leads, he wants to know is Sehun okay. The younger shakes his head.

"...I... I got the number of the killer... His name is Huang Zitao."

Luhan leans a bit closer and looks at him deeply in the eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asks intimidating. Sehun nods a bit, trying to calm himself down. Luhan doesn't buy it. Instead he just wraps his arms around the younger and closes him in his arms. Sehun wraps arms around him too, his tiny frame that's smaller than Sehun's.

"...I'm quite alright."

Luhan hums as a reply but stays silent. Sehun's body shivers but is slowly calming down when he's near Luhan. Near the one who cares for him, head on his shoulder.

Luhan pulls back a bit. He stares at the younger's face with his caring eyes. Those lips that part as he sobs, those eyes red as tears fall, those cheeks puffy as he cries are perfect enough. He leans a bit closer. So their noses touch, pointy ones. The warm breath on each other's skin.

The amazing feeling of being taken care of takes the best of Sehun's body as he tenses up a bit. The joy that makes him excited. If this is finally what he's been waiting for, it's worth everything he has to give.

"Shall we take this play to the end?" Luhan asks as he stares at Sehun's lips. The latter nods rapidly eagerly. The gap between their lips keeps shrinking as Luhan leans closer and closer. He places his own lips against Sehun's gently.

The atmosphere is tense. Sehun is totally hypnotized by this tingly feeling that takes over his body. He just stares at Luhan's face, his closed eyes, before closing his own too and deepening into the kiss. To give Luhan all the power to take over him.

That's exactly what he's going to do. He brushes over the younger's lower lip with his tongue. Sehun doesn't get the hint, he's not too experienced with these things. When Luhan's lips part enough, he knows to part his own too and let Luhan have all the dominance. He's tensing even more by this, but the older goes slowly, so he has time to adjust. When comfortable enough, Luhan keeps on going, tasting all the sweetness between those lips.

Sehun doesn't know what he's doing but knows he likes this.

And doesn't like it when Luhan pulls back. Though the smile he flashes soothes the pain of parting a little bit.

The older takes his hand in his and starts to lead him out the bar. Sehun goes with everything he's doing right now. Maybe he spent all that time drinking at the bar and is now drunk as hell. At least, it would make sense to Sehun, even though Luhan is not even slurring.

Soon enough he finds himself in the car, sitting on the front seat. Even so, Luhan can still lean over him and fasten his seat belt. Nothing goes over safety in the traffic.

Soon enough the car is also on the road, speeding towards Luhan's detached house. The time they spend in silence is not very long. Sehun just stares at the road and falls in his thoughts. Thoughts where he's happy with Luhan.

Sehun won't even notice when they get there and Luhan opens the door for him. He looks up at the police with big eyes as the latter only smiles comfortably. Sehun accepts his help to get out of the car and take his hand in his own as the older keeps leading him to the house.

Keys jingle, but the moments go on a bit haphazardly as Sehun only thinks about those arms holding him, excited about what's going to happen.

And in the house, where Sehun is practically ripped and slammed against the wall, he feels those hands all over him again. Those lips won't keep their distance from his lips and his skin. His white neck that was violated by another man, doesn't scream Luhan's name. Oh but Luhan will take care of it.

Sehun gasps for air as he throws his head back when Luhan keeps kissing his neck. The older's hands wander all over his body. He finds himself being led to somewhere else again - this time to Sehun's bedroom, the guest bedroom, the one he had because he didn't find any other house to settle in.

Luhan crashes his lips against the other's as he lowers his arms to hold him against himself. Sehun lets out an unintentional moan in the process when his back hits the door and Luhan leans even deeper to open it. It flies open with a loud thud on the wall due to the man pressed against it. Sehun flies with it and lets out another gasp when the pain radiates from his back.

Catching up with the speed Luhan is going is nearly impossible to Sehun as he only keeps moaning when the other's holding him strongly in his arms. He parts a bit, and there's even an eye contact for a second. His thirst for Sehun at the moment is much bigger than the romance, unfortunate for the latter.

Their shirts are soon long forgotten on the ground. Sehun really doesn't catch up with Luhan's speed, not when his neck is being kissed by his lips, violated by his teeth, when his body is pressed between him and the wall.

He raises his hand unconsciously to claw on Luhan's chest. That just makes the older move his hand from Sehun's waist down to his front and palm the growing bulge. He kisses up the younger's neck to find his lips that are letting out pleasured moans at the moment. Trying to breathe and kiss him back is unbelievably hard when Luhan's palming his front.

Luhan pulls back only a bit from his lips, a string of saliva still connecting them. He looks down at the mouth that keeps gasping in a breath of air and letting it out with a small moan, warm breath landing on the other's face.

Sehun has always gone with the flow and let people do anything to him. Would he let Luhan?

That question is about to be answered when Luhan stops his actions with his hand to hold Sehun tightly in his arms and take him to the bed. The younger lands on the mattress on his back with his long skinny legs spread. He doesn't really know what's about to happen, but he does know the front of his pants with a small wet stain show Luhan quite well what he wants.

The older places himself between Sehun's legs and immediately leans down to kiss his neck while bucking his hips against the other's.

...Now, would he? Would he let Luhan?

Sehun takes in a sharp suck of breath. He's sweating like never and hotness is taking over his body, but somehow someone other's own bare chest on his, pressing him against the bed, makes him really uncomfortable and anxious.

Sehun throws his arms above his own head. The moans he just let out, stop. The pleasured feeling and high is replaced with something clenching in his heart. Something that hurts a lot. He's unable to move for a while. Just looking up at the ceiling when Luhan is kissing his neck hungrily.

He frowns and lets out a sob. This is not what he wants. So he quickly takes a hold of Luhan's shoulders and tries to push him away. If kicking would help.

The older is a bit taken aback when he feels a kick on his stomach and Sehun trying to struggle his way out of his embrace. His face is just... filled with horror as small sobs escape his lips.

Luhan is dumbfounded. He slowly sits up on his knees and watches as Sehun raises his legs to hug them. He hears the sobbing. His shoulders raise a bit with every cry.

The younger doesn't exactly know what got into him. Somehow just... the way he did it always reminds him of the man who raped him. It's not that long. He's not strong enough yet. It will always hunt him but he wishes to forget about it.

But it's too soon.

The silence takes over the room. Only the younger's sobbing echoes. Luhan tries to calm down and understand the situation.

"...Sehun... Are you okay...?" he asks with a gentle voice. Sehun doesn't reply. "...Did he do something to you...?"

The younger shakes his head. Jung didn't do anything to him.

Luhan comes a bit closer to him on the bed. Slowly, he places a hand on his back.

"...It has something to do with... with them... Doesn't it?" The silence says the truth, which is yes. "...Sehun... What did they do to you...?"

"...You said it", Sehun sniffles. "...When we first met..."

"...They raped you...?" Luhan asks with a silent voice because he doesn't want to make the other feel too uncomfortable. Sehun stays silent for a while, sobbing louder.

"...He did... Only one... So many times..."

"...I... I understand..." Luhan exclaims while drawing comforting circles on his back. Sehun shakes his head rapidly. Slowly, he looks up at the other who looks really hurt but caring.

"...Understand...?" he repeats while narrowing his eyes. "...How could you...? You could never understand the pain I went through... I was... so afraid..."

"I can't understand the pain you went through", Luhan says. Slowly he starts to drape his arms around the younger. "But I care. I understand you were hurt. But I could never imagine your pain."

Sehun tries to hit Luhan away from him but the other is persistent.

"Let me go", he pleads, powerless. Luhan hugs him and falls on the bed. That just makes Sehun try to struggle away.

"Don't be alone, Sehun", he begs. The younger hits and kicks him a few times more, but Luhan won't let go. "It's okay... I... Sehun... I really... really... like you..."

"Why?" the other wonders with a sob. "...I am filthy..."

"...You...? No. He...? Yes." Luhan's eyes are half-lidded when he looks at Sehun. The boy breaks another sob before finally hugging him back. He wonders how could Luhan still be so calm and comforting when he kept pushing him away, hit him, kicked him and pleaded him to go away.

Sehun comes as near as he can. Luhan raises a bit to tug the blanket over them. He tightens his arms around the other and smiles when the crying finally ends.


	10. Wake Up

Makeup stains are awful to wash away in the morning when just woke up.

Trust me, Luhan knows it too well.

The police got a text from his captain early in the morning, saying that he has to be at the station at 11 or else he would be fired. It took all of Luhan's willpower and all his energy to get out of bed and untangle Sehun's arms around him. He went to shower and changed to his uniform, but nothing starts the morning like a hot cup of coffee. Luhan is obsessed with it, truly, he needs his cup of coffee every morning.

Though there's something else too he would like to be a habit of his. One of his routines. Taking care of someone. Kiss someone before going to work and when coming home.

Him.

Luhan is not exactly sure how he found himself in the doorway to Sehun's room. He leans on the wall, takes a sip of his coffee and stares at the boy laying on the bed on his side, the blanket tugged over him. His arms lay on the bed like he had to let go of someone. Well, that is true.

The police walks nearer to him. He leaves the cup on the nightstand and sits on the bed. He places his hand gently on the blanket.

And slowly, he starts to drag it off of the younger, to expose his perfect smooth skin. He slides it down and more down, over his perfect hips and leg that's thrown over the other. Sehun really has a nice body, and Luhan knows that if Sehun gives him a chance, he will get greedy and possessive over the younger one.

He takes all the time to admire him bathing in the sun. It's July, it's summer, it's hot, and the sun is shining in the morning.

Those little marks on Sehun's neck make Luhan utter a smile. He really did mark Sehun as his own. Now to keep it that way. All he wanted to do was to keep Sehun close and make him feel loved.

Makeup all over his face. Black strings over his cheeks showing he really cried a lot. Swollen face. It's still cute.

Sehun turns on his back as he lets out a loud groan. Luhan just chuckles to it and Sehun opens his eyes when feeling the hand on his hip again.

"I need to go to the station. The captain messaged me. You can... Contact the killer, maybe?" Luhan asks with a small smile. Sehun is somewhere else in his own worlds when feeling the hand on his hip soothing comfortably. It feels amazing, and he's not even troubled by the way Luhan stares at his bare upper body. He likes it.

"...Uhm... I don't know..." he replies with a raspy morning voice Luhan laughs at.

"I was so absorbed in you I forgot to ask about the leads..." the older blushes and laughs awkwardly. "...What can you tell me?"

"...He..." Sehun has a small headache and he feels a bit nauseous, both mentally and physically. He raises his head to find the other's gaze. "...Gave me the number to contact the killer... And instructions how to meet him... I don't know whether or not to trust him..."

"The killer? Where is he?"

"...I have to call him and tell him where to meet. He's... he's a prostitute..." Sehun tells honestly. Luhan's eyes widen and he blinks a few times. To think that a prostitute was a killer...

"If he truly is a prostitute, he might make his visits somewhere where he cannot be hurt nor the police find him. So, don't say my house. He wouldn't trust it. But somewhere public enough so he cannot hurt you. Hotel, maybe?"

Sehun nods a bit. Hotel sounds nice enough, and it has to be expensive enough too. That's a place he can be sure that if it's someone not expected, he will be saved.

"...I really can't think about this now... I just woke up... But you'll lend me some money, right?" Sehun looks at him with tired eyes. Luhan gently caresses the younger's hip. He can't help it. The other is so perfectly curvy.

"Of course..." The older quickly takes a look at his watch he always wears on his left wrist and startles by how the time flies. "Oh my goodness! I have to go!"

He thinks about it for a second, should he do it or not. Sehun just stares at him with tired eyes. He even yawns, but when feeling a kiss on his cheek, he's a bit shocked. Not maybe in a bad way. Luhan's kisses are not bad, the total opposite.

"Have a nice day!" the cop says quickly before fleeing from the situation. Sehun stares at him running away with wide eyes while holding his cheek.

"...Bye..."

When thinking of it, Luhan seems like a person who would want to wake up next to someone every morning, say some cheesy lines and take care of that someone. Maybe Sehun really has made him a little possessive over him, but now they're just starting all this. Being really possessive will come later.

Sehun just lays in bed for a while and stares at the ceiling. He was really excited last night when Luhan pushed him against the wall. He had never felt as good as last night when that hand played on his bulge. Maybe, he went too far when throwing Sehun on the bed and jumping between his legs. That was really too much.

But, the thought of Luhan will not leave his mind. The kiss on his cheek and all that... touching. Maybe Sehun has a soft spot on his hips because those touches felt so good he could imagine himself purring like a cat.

Is this what it's like to like someone? Sehun has unconsciously started to smile. It's really weird. Maybe he should call a doctor.

***

_"Huang Zitao."_

"He... Hello..." Sehun takes in a deep breath at this point. He's really nervous. "...I am Oh Sehun... I would like to meet you..."

_"Yeah, sure. Where would you like to meet?"_

"Uh... JW Marriott."

_"Okay. Book a room and I'll be there with your name, Oh Sehun. You have to wait for me in your room, okay?"_

Sehun exhales deeply, "Okay."

_"What time? You want the whole night? Or just an evening, an hour, two hours...?"_

"U-uh... An evening...?" It wasn't supposed to be a question, but that's how it turned out to be. "At 6PM..."

_"Okay. I'll see you then. Remember to bring money, I charge afterwards depending on who tops and how many times you cum."_

"...O... O-okay... S-see you..." With that, the man ends the call.

Sehun slowly puts down the phone on the table. He only has Luhan's tank top and the mini shorts he wore all night. Though he knows he won't be able to use them when going to the city - showing his perfect long skinny white thighs would be crucial, making all men want to cocoon between his legs. Besides, using those would scream _'gay'_ in everyone's faces.

Sehun takes a deep inhale when trying to gather his courage. He hugs his legs and stares outside. Mr Cat comes into the room and meows to Sehun in a cute manner. That however, is totally ignored by the human.

_Don't trust strangers._

That is something Sehun hasn't done after what happened to him. Although, getting away from Richard to the torturer's hands was even a relief. Sometimes the boy wonders, where is the said man, raper, who took all his self-confidence. Does he ever think about Sehun? How he hurt him so cold-heartedly? Does he watch those videos to see Sehun's struggles all over again?

Disgusting. So fucking disgusting Sehun starts to feel nauseous. He wants back in Luhan's arms. Is he working the whole day? That's hardly fair. To Sehun.

The boy hugs his knees and drifts somewhere out of this world. Forsaken, that's how it feels like. Why did it have to be him going through all that shit?

If Luhan was here, he would slightly chuckle to Sehun's pitiful look and then kiss his head and hug him. Thinking about it makes Sehun feel all warm inside.

Only if Luhan was here right now...

***

JW Marriott.

Now this is a place to _fuck_ with a prostitute.

Sehun takes the first step out of the taxi, thanks and pays the driver. It's good that not all people know about his meeting with a prostitute. It's not that it was rare, but it is illegal. Many people have their first sexual experience with a prostitute, but Sehun had it with a stranger who wanted his power, but that cannot be counted. He did not _lose_ his virginity, it was taken.

He didn't give in, and he's happy for that. None of the three men have a proof about his ability, and he intends to keep it to himself - and Luhan.

The lobby is quite nice. Sehun has not been in this hotel ever, so needless to say that the entrance is pretty impressive. The reception is right near the entrance, so he walks to there. The lady behind it smiles happily.

"Hello and welcome to JW Marriott. is there anything you need?" she wonders. Sehun stands on his place and thinks for a moment, what was he supposed to say.

"I have a room under the name Oh Sehun. For two", he tells the woman who looks through some things from the computer.

"Let's see, Mister Oh... You have rented a room. Your room is 1670, upstairs on the right. Are you expecting company?"

"Yes. My... company, will come later, if comes. Just give them the keycard."

"Sure do. Here is your keycard", she smiles when handing a small card to Sehun. "Enjoy your stay!"

Sehun only nods as a reply and flashes a small smile. Now that wasn't so bad, was it? He didn't die, faint or anything else as horrible.

Now to wait in their room. Sehun finds it by following the numbers from 900. Well, seven-hundred rooms later he found his own. And almost 20 minutes later. But he won't ask directions! He doesn't want to talk more than he has to.

The room has a large bed with pillows and the blanket looks so calling. Sehun just wants to jump on it.

Wait a second...

No one is here.

Sehun smiles a bit to himself. He cannot resist it. He stares at it for a moment. Come on, it looks so soft.

So, he jumps on it happily. When landing on it safely, he starts to laugh. It's so comfortable and fluffy! He grasps on the sheets gently. Just the thought of the older pressed against his back while marking his neck is so comfortable. Weird. He hasn't been away more than... Oh, it's 8 hours already. It's too much.

Maybe, he really does care for Luhan.

Someone opens the door. The boy is a bit startled by it. He looks at the door, anticipating who's behind it. He sits up to welcome the man, though he is very nervous.

Of course he waited for someone a bit intimidating, but not anything like a red-haired tanned man with lots of black makeup and black clothes. Earrings. They must not be his own. A prostitute doesn't make money to have his whole ear pierced with nice golden jewelries.

"My, oh my... If you had told me how hot you are, I wouldn't have waited so long", he says with a raspy voice while starting to open his black dress shirt. "Should we get started?"

Sehun is very nervous. What to do? Well obviously stop him but Sehun can't just tell him to stop. He's too much at it. Like, already undressing himself.

"You want to top or bottom? Have you recently broke up? If yes, I can give some comfort sex because you are not old and disgusting like most of my customers."

"Uhm... Actually I didn't call you to have sex with you", he says with a silent voice. Apparently it is enough to the man who raises his head. He looks at Sehun in the eyes, totally shocked.

"...Are you a dealer, or something?" Zitao wonders totally lost. "Or here for just make out?"

"...No and no", Sehun sighs. So persistent prostitute. "I am here because of the man that you killed. Mister Jung. His son gave me your number and told me he gave the job of killing his father to you."

"...Oh shit... Are you with cops?" Zitao freaks out. Sehun shakes his head. "Isn't that kind of information worth a fuck, don't you think?"

"I don't really care. I care about The Twelve Forces." Now he's really got the man's ears.

"...You belong to an organization of some sort?" He walks closer to Sehun who is having hard time to breathe. He looks up at the man who places himself between Sehun's knees and touches his face gently. Why does everyone want to hurt him?

"I do not."

"You do. I am not going to lay my body on your surgery tables." He slowly and gently wraps his hands around Sehun's neck and starts pushing him down to the bed. Sehun holds his hands, but when feeling his back on the mattress, he's shocked. Now what to do?

Words? They seem too hard. Zitao places himself on Sehun's body and strangles him a bit more stronger, but...

The pillow that hits his head makes him aware. Who did it? The sofa and the table fall on their side as the lights start to flicker. Sudden... storm inside the hotel room.

The prostitute looks down at the man laying under him, eyes shut, gasping for air. His own eyes are wide open, and his jaw hanging low.

Sehun gasps for air as he sinks his nails into the other man's wrists. The storm inside the room is almost like whispering, _"Let me go."_

_"Stop before someone comes in."_

Zitao loosens his grip on the other's neck and looks at him in shock. Slowly, Sehun opens his eyes to see the man's horrified face.

"...I... I am... the airbender... of the forces... And you are... the one who controls time..."

Sehun lets out a deep breath. Glad that's done.


	11. The Something

Luhan takes another sip of coffee. It's Sunday evening, but that doesn't matter. He's going to stay awake all night with his reports and insomnia anyways. He's still in his uniform, holding the reports in his hand while sipping the drink.

When the door opens he looks at it immediately, waiting for some good news from Sehun. What he didn't expect was two males behind it.

Sehun makes an eye contact with Luhan for a short while and even smiles a bit. The older smiles back. He can sense uneasiness, but also comfort when seeing Luhan again. Good thing to know you're loved.

Sehun closes the door after Zitao steps in. Luhan can tell from the first glance that the man is a member of the forces. He's just got the something. Something that makes Luhan aware.

"Hi, Luhan. This is Huang Zitao, the lord of time", Sehun says with a small voice. The other man bows a bit.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you. I know we are going to have to work closely, so call me Tao for short", he says. Luhan bows a bit for him too.

"Nice to meet you too. I am Lu Han, with the ability of telekinesis."

"Weird. Sehun-ssi said that no cops, but you're standing in a uniform with some papers in your hand", Tao notes, pointing at the pile of papers. Luhan glances at them. "And coffee says the rest of it."

"Well well", Luhan starts with a loud voice. "This is just a job, Tao-ssi, and I get paid for arresting sons of bitches not obeying the law."

"Do you enjoy it?" Tao asks with a pointy nose. Sehun just looks at the two alternatively. Luhan narrows his eyes.

"I enjoy safe society. I know you are a prostitute, so you should know that I cannot arrest you because we are on the same side", he exclaims with a serious face. Tao ends up rolling his eyes, while Sehun is at total loss.

"I was not talking about me", the boy tells honestly, earning the two's full attention. "I was talking about another member of the forces."

Sehun takes off his shoes and proceeds to the living room. Tao looks at what he's doing, as well as Luhan.

"Please, sit down. We need to talk", the boy says in a serious matter. Well, Luhan was supposed to spend time with his reports but guess that has to wait for a moment. Tao leaves his shoes also at the door and walks to the living room, next to Sehun. Luhan sits on the sofa table across them. As a cop, he's been introduced to a lot of interrogation methods and sitting across the other is the best way to gain his attention.

Sehun coughs a little. To be really honest, he just wanted to come back in Luhan's arms and now he can't even do that. Luhan looks at the prostitute in the eyes, but the latter is looking at the ground, maybe a bit in thought.

"You know another member?" Luhan asks. Tao nods. "Who is he?"

"...Well... He's not exactly a... Uhm, he's not a decent person. He's... He's a gang leader", the boy tells. Luhan blinks a few times.

A gang leader! In the forces! Oh happy day!

Even Sehun is shaken up by the answer. He doesn't really understand why would people be a part of a gang anyways.

"...A gang leader?"

"...Yeah. He has the ability of flying. He's... quite tall, and handsome. We are all like family now, so it's probably okay if I say that I have provided him some of my services for free, if you know what I mean. He's just got the something, you know?"

The men nod, understanding the situation all too well. Luhan just has the something that makes Sehun feel good inside.

"How could we find him?" Luhan wonders. Now is the time Tao finally looks up at him.

"Well, I can show you tomorrow, or sometime soon, I know where he lives. Whenever you want, really. That's when we can find him."

The cop nods as Sehun just stares at him. Cuddling, yes please.

Luhan gets up from the sofa table and takes another gulp of his coffee. The two younger just stare at him, waiting for him to say something.

"Let's go tomorrow. Tao-ssi, you can sleep on the couch, if you want to. Or you can go to your home. But I would suggest you stayed the night here and come with us tomorrow. When the four of us are together, we should gather some clues about the other members of the forces", the police says as he makes his way to his little office. "Sehun, get him a pillow and blanket, there should be some in the closet in your room", guestroom, "And please, do not disturb me when I am working."

Sehun doesn't say anything, just gets up and walks to his room. Luhan closes the door of his office and the newcomer is at total loss. Guess they have really started to look for the forces, and now would be the time they start their journey.

It's all thanks to Luhan, really. And the men who tortured Sehun. Without them, Luhan would have never started to look for the other forces.

Sehun doesn't take long with bringing the pillow and blanket to Tao. He simply brings them with a smile on his face. Smile to the man who almost strangled him. Well, good thing his power took the best of him. For this once only.

Tao doesn't get the whole picture, though. Neither does any of them, actually. What exactly is their mission? What is their place in the world? That is a mere mystery no one knows the answer for.

"I'm really sorry I tried to strangle you", Tao says awkwardly. Sehun hums as a reply and puts the pillow on the sofa, leaning on the arm.

"I'm just glad you didn't do the same thing to me as you did to Mister Jung. Or stop my heart", he replies a bit devastated just thinking about it. Tao nods a bit.

"Me too. You have to understand, I have met very not nice people who have wanted me either dead or to some weird organization. Those things make you really paranoid."

"I know", Sehun huffs. "I know all too well." Tao raises an eyebrow at that.

"Really? You do?"

"...Yeah..." If he had the courage, he would tell about what happened to him. Or if this Tao was more close with him and not a total stranger to him. "To none of us this has been easy. Many different organizations have been after me. It's less than two months I've been living with Luhan. He really is an amazing person."

Hopefully, he heard that.

Tao smiles sadly to the other male, "Thanks for letting me stay. My home isn't pretty big nor hygienic, as you can imagine. It really means a lot to me."

"We need every clue about the forces and every member in order to save... Or do, whatever we're supposed to do", Sehun reminds, making a deep eye contact with him. "In other words, it's good to have you here." Tao smiles a bit better now. Sehun only flashes a smile. He's not exactly a fan of these smiles.

"I seriously am sorry about what happened. I hope nothing like that happens, even if it was an accident, ever again."

"It won't", Sehun states. "Luhan will have you dead if you hurt me in any way."

Tao raises an eyebrow at that, too. They do not know that Luhan in the other room is not exactly paying attention to his reports, but listening to their conversation.

_Luhan will have you dead if you hurt me in any way._

Sehun has never been more right in his whole life.

***

The morning comes sooner than thought, except for the one who spent the whole night in his office. He fell asleep at some point and is now trying to flutter his eyes open, after at least four hours of sleep. His head aches and because he kind of fell asleep on his hard desk, he has a big red mark on his cheek.

"...Ow... My head..." Luhan curses when pushing himself off of his desk. He throws his hands back and stretches out long and tiredly, trying to prevent the embarrassing groans when stretching. Mister Cat spent all night with him in the office and is still sleeping on his lap. Cats, always bothering cops when they're trying to do their reports.

About the case. There has been some drug dealing as well as human trafficking. Most of the prisoners are drug addicts. Their family members and friends have reported about their missing loved ones, if they have, and are grieving, pleading to have them back. It's Luhan's duty to fulfill their wishes and that's exactly what he's going to do.

But first, let him have a cup of coffee.

The police smiles to his cat and kisses his forehead gently, but then he has to drop him on the ground. When getting up, his vision blurs a bit but he's trying to stay focus. After all, he's gone through this so many times.

When traveling through the living room, he finally finds himself and two others in the kitchen. Sehun is eating rice like every morning and Tao is eating some bread the other prepared for him. Luhan smiles when Sehun looks at him weirdly, the prostitute looking down at his food.

"You have a huge red mark on your cheek", Sehun chuckles. Luhan's hand raises immediately on his own cheek to touch the mark. He blinks a few times in an innocent manner and looks at the boy in front of him while wondering. Sehun smiles widely when Tao turns to look at the oldest one of them too.

"I... I fell asleep in my office..."

"You should've told me that, I would've taken your bed", the red haired boy laughs. Luhan just rolls his eyes when walking to the cupboard to get a cup for himself. But just then, he notices that the coffee pot is empty. Of course he hasn't made coffee today and neither of the boys drink their morning coffees, so he ends up sighing.

Sehun notices the sleepiness in the older's eyes and his irritated sigh when noticing the coffee pot empty. He must have slept very poorly.

He walks to a cabinet that's right next to Luhan and takes out a coffee package to add them into the maker. The older is a bit slow at times, and especially now that he looks at the long thin fingers touching _his_ coffee maker. The deep scars in Sehun's wrist make him always wonder, but never ask.

"Let me make it for you. You're too sleepy. Just sit down", the younger commands when pushing the other one to sit on the chair behind him. Luhan doesn't put up against it, he knows that Sehun knows he is not feeling so well. Especially according to the black bags under his eyes that Sehun first saw when the police saved him, he knew the man had insomnia. He complains about his headache and migraine all the time it's even starting to get annoying. Only relieve is caffeine that keeps him at least awake.

Tao stays quiet even after he's finished. He doesn't know nothing about these two. If they weren't part of the forces, he wouldn't even want to know. Now he's forced to.

Luhan has a bad habit of falling in his thoughts while staring at Sehun. Now that his back is facing him, he lowers his gaze a bit too down and just stares at the perfect round ass covered with light blue jeans. Because he has a long back, Luhan's shirt he's wearing is a bit too short for him, showing the bit of his lower back.

He could imagine himself stripping Sehun till he was wearing nothing and fucking him against the cabinet. He could almost hear the moans the other let out and begging him to fuck him harder and deeper, to touch him, while his noises would just get louder.

Oh, he needs to sleep. He is a gentleman with a pure mind, he never thinks about things like these in the morning. The only place he's given himself the freedom to think dirty is at the bar when he's to hook up with someone. Being what everyone wants is very easy for Luhan since he knows what they're thinking.

"I know you're the one who can read minds", Tao startles Luhan by stating that. The older snaps out of it and looks back at the boy who's talking. "But please, I can hear you."

Luhan flushes bright red when Tao says that and looks back at the table. Sehun glances behind himself and looks at them with an unknowing, innocent look on his face. Only if he knew how much Luhan actually likes him. Maybe it's because of his nature and his want to protect people as the cop he is.

But these things make Luhan really question what is that protecting. Fucking Sehun would not be protecting him, it would just remind him of what happened to him. It would be the total opposite of protecting.

Sehun places a cup before the police and flashes a genuine smile to him before sitting back down to eat his rice.

"Thank you, Sehun."

"You've done so much to me", the younger starts and takes a small pause. "It would be just fair that I did something in exchange."

Luhan flashes him a smile but when looking back at Tao he notices the man doing some inappropriate hand gestures. He rolls his eyes when the other man just chuckles, Sehun totally lost about what's so funny.


	12. Dead Young Male

The three get out of the car and walk to a small street. There are a few apartment doors in the small alley. Rather dirty, one of the dirtiest parts in the whole Seoul. Luhan has had lots of troubles in this part of the city. Most of the criminals he encounters are very good at what they're doing.  


These guys? Not that good. Mostly to cause trouble so the police would have something to do. They just like to rebel a bit but they're not rather organized in their doings.

Tao walks ahead of the two other men. Sehun keeps glancing at Luhan every once in a while. He cannot just let go of what happened that night. Why is Luhan acting like it? Sehun would like to stay home and just talk about the matter with Luhan, but if they were to be together, what would happen to the forces? Could he accept that? What if they broke up then?

Breaking up is a bit far since they are not even together. Sehun just wants to know what's going on in his mind. He wants to know would Luhan really want to hold him tightly. Sehun wants it.

Three knocks on the door make him fall back to the earth. Tao knocks the door again three times when he doesn't hear a reply.

Well, Luhan took his gun with him and is probably going in using his cool police skills. Sehun makes way to the two because he's just in the way.

"Weird. He's usually home in the morning", Tao points out. Luhan narrows his eyes and walks a bit closer to it.

Suddenly they hear a guy screaming and things breaking. Someone is really struggling. Sounds like there's a fight going on.

"Can I?" Luhan asks. Tao nods quickly. Of course he's worried for the man. Sehun takes another step back since he doesn't really want to get in trouble.

The police kicks the door a few times until it opens and breaks it. He raises his gun and proceeds into the apartment after yelling, "Police!"

_Hot damn_ , Sehun thinks. He'll see a cop in action - again! How cool is that? Last time Sehun saw Luhan in action was when he saved Sehun.

The boy takes again another step back when seeing two men beating up one. The tall blonde struggles on the ground while kicking the two men off of him. The other is pressing a knife against his throat, an angry expression on his face.

"Drop your weapons and put your hands above your head!" Luhan yells to the other two. Good thing the man doesn't have a gun or either they would probably be in trouble. Except that Luhan might save them by controlling their bodies.

Because nothing happens and the men just continue on their mission, Luhan runs to them and kicks them off of the laying one. He aims at the man who has the knife in his hand.

"I said drop your weapon!" Luhan intimidates while pointing at the man. The other is looking like he really wanted to catch on Luhan, but Tao kicks him back to the ground.

"These guys can go. They're usually harmless", the red-haired boy says. "We don't have time to arrest them."

Leaving bad guys on the run is something Luhan really despises. Good thing he isn't on a mission he got from his captain or he would most likely be in trouble. He glares at Tao really angrily before lowering his gun slowly. The blonde on the ground has his hands above his head and looks maybe a bit relieved.

"Now go before I fucking shoot your heads off", the police says with a growl. When looking down at the blonde one, he has the feel immediately. He really is a member of the forces.

The two gangsters growl at the cop while the latter glares at them. They take steps slowly to the front door, Sehun immediately sneaking up behind Luhan for comfort. He doesn't want to be near these guys.

Luhan lets out an annoyed sigh when putting his hair a bit better. Sehun is holding his both hands on the cop's shoulder to comfort the other, but mostly himself. They just stare at the two on the ground when they take care of each other so sweetly; Tao crouches next to him and takes his hand in his. They make an eye contact, stare that is too long for two persons who claim to be just friends.

"Are you okay? What did they want?" the red-haired boy asks with a calm voice that comforts the blonde one holding his arm. "They hurt your arm."

"Just a scratch, really", he says as he glances at the two watching the scene with wondering gazes. "They wanted me to pay my debts, but I don't have that  kind of money. And, who are these people and what are they doing in my home?"

Nice home he has there, there's at least like three rooms filled with dust, dirt and bugs. And drugs. A place Luhan wouldn't call such fancy as _home_.

"These are Luhan and Sehun, two members of the forces", Tao explains. That's when the blonde's eyes really widen. The red-haired looks up at the two too. "Luhan, Sehun, this is Kris."

"Nice to meet you", the cop says but doesn't much smile about it. "Nice to know there are more kind of outlaws in the forces."

Kris narrows his eyes, and finally with the help of the other boy, he gets up. Sehun looks at Luhan with sad eyes, hoping he wouldn't say anything offensive to these guys. Of course he understands, Luhan is a cop, he has to obey the law and make others do so, too.

"I would suggest me and Sehun did the talking", Tao says in an annoyed matter. Luhan and Kris just glare at each other.

"A gang leader, really?" the cop asks with an irritated look on his face.

"It's not like I've had to make many choices in my life."

"You have many different choices from... this."

"Okay, guys", Tao scolds. Sehun gently squeezes Luhan's shoulder to note him about his bad manners. The latter doesn't much care about it, but for Sehun, he decides to shut the fuck up. "We came here to discuss. About the forces. So let's discuss. About the forces."

"I am the airbender, Sehun", the boy tells with a small smile to the tall blonde in front of them. "And, this is Luhan, with the power of telekinesis. He can read minds, so be aware of your thoughts."

That does make Kris raise his eyebrows. He didn't know that was possible.

"I have the ability to fly. I haven't mastered it, as you can imagine, I don't much fly around. People would go cuckoo", he states. Sehun gently smiles to it while Tao utters a laughter. Luhan doesn't understand what's funny though. Cops and their humor.

"I just want to know some things about the forces", Luhan says in a serious matter. "Do you know anyone who would know anything?"

"Not really", Kris answers when looking down. "Haven't met anyone except Tao."

"Is it okay if I ask what were your families like, what happened to them?"

"I had both of my parents. My real parents", Tao tells them. "They however were killed by some weird organization when I was a teenager."

"My mother died. I had a father. I killed the man", Kris tells calmly. Sehun doesn't like the way he says that. How could someone just say that he killed his own father? "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"I am searching the leads that connect me and Sehun, and I was wondering would they connect us too", Luhan tells. Now he has his gun in his pocket, which makes the other two before him kind of relieved.

"Then what about you two?" Tao asks in an innocent matter, truly interested about the topic. Luhan lets out a sigh, waiting for the other one to start.

"Uh, my real family was killed when I was a little boy. I was adopted by a lonely lady who raised me, but... She... They..." He still cannot believe it to be real. She was really the only one who cared for him. Now he has Luhan too. The cop notices Tao's sad face and the younger boy behind him shivering a bit, so he starts talking to change the subject from Sehun's mother.

"I was born in Beijing, but my parents were killed too. I was adopted to a Chinese family in South Korea. I grew to love them as my own family, and when I finally was something meaningful to the parents, some men decided to take my little sister from me. Maybe a few months passed by, and the men got rid of my parents", the cop tells. His emotions are not seen on his face, unlike the other's. Kris is not emotional either - he killed his father, why would he?

But Luhan can sense the deep sorrow inside his heart.

"The same men?" Tao wonders. The cop shrugs.

"They might be. The same organization."

"It sounds scary..." Sehun replies silently. He doesn't want to be a part of this. Why couldn't he just born into a normal family, as a normal human being? One of the worst parts is, that the whole world doesn't know about these people even existing. These people risking their lives for something they don't want to, just for the safety of others.

How noble.

Doesn't suit the three in the room.

"What do you know about The Twelve Forces?"

"Nothing", Kris shrugs. "I really have no idea what is any of this."

"I know something about the final battle", Tao says silently. "But, I only know its name."

"I know that we are supposed to fight off something, but not exactly sure what. I don't even know half of what's hidden in our powers", Luhan exclaims.

"Me and you", the red-haired boy starts, meaning himself and Luhan. He looks at the cop with sad eyes. "Have mastered quite well our powers. These two, have not."

Luhan blinks a few times, wondering what the other means, "So...?"

"There's much in our powers. You can feel the force, right? I can feel much more energy coming from you than from Kris or Sehun. Does that mean something?"

The cop narrows his eyes. He takes out a notepad from his pocket, because he always keeps it in his uniform for a lot of reasons, and a pen also. He writes down some notes for himself to remember.

"Year of birth?" he asks.

"1993", Tao tells.

"1990", Kris answers. Luhan writes them down too.

"Now", he starts while writing down the notes. "The only lead is that all of our parents were killed and our ages are also near each other - me 1990, Sehun 1994."

Kris and Tao just nod, understanding quite well what's he talking about. Finding the other forces would be hard, but they've already got four out of twelve. That's one from third.

Sehun narrows his eyes when looking up at the two before him. There is a question Luhan did not remember to ask, already putting his notebook back in his pocket.

"You're gay", he notes. For that, Luhan turns to look at him weird. "We're gay. We're all just..."

"Really?" Kris utters a laughter. "Tao must have told you. Yeah, I am."

"I am bi, so, there's that", Tao tells honestly.

 "Okay, so LGBT, and male", Luhan makes mental notes again. Finding a young gay male person with dead parents shouldn't be too hard to find - but the thing is, where to look for? Only the world is their limit.

Luhan sighs deeply. He doesn't really like the idea of finding the forces one by one, but what else can he do to take the mission to the end and bring Sehun to safety?

Those are questions he cannot get an answer for.

And why are these members outlaws? That's the total opposite for everything Luhan has ever stood for - being on the same side with someone who breaks the rules.

***

Because Luhan still had more things to do at the station, he left Sehun home and went straight to work. Tao decided to leave at Kris' place, or, the crappy block of dirt and drugs. Teamwork, yeah, sure, Luhan is totally not irritated about that. He at least thought that the others would be decent like him and Sehun.

Guess these kinds of destinies do different kinds of things to different kind of people.

It's already evening, and it's hot. The sun is shining but is slowly taken by black clouds. Sehun is sitting in his room on the desk before the window and drawing. If there's something he's always enjoyed, it's art. Some people don't seem to understand it. They should by now realize that it's his reason to live - well, with Luhan of course. In those seven months he wished for dying, he didn't get to do anything artistic.

And just now, those emotions are going out on the paper through his pen. Like letting out emotions through a pencil, how could those who have not experienced it understand?

Dark pictures, as the weather slowly changes. It's still warm and Sehun is wearing those short mini shorts as well as Luhan's slightly too small white tank top. But he likes to wear those clothes.

The door opens to a magical view. Sehun in his silver hair, sitting in the sunset before the window. He doesn't even glance at the man who walks into the room in his uniform, holding a cup of coffee in his hand.

Of course, Sehun will always remember that smell of coffee and it will always bring a smile on his lips.

The steps get closer and finally stop. The bed creaks a bit as someone sits on the edge of it and just stares at the other person sitting on his desk, smiling to his own drawing.

Calm pace of breathing. It gets quicker.

"You look amazing", the ever so soft and calming voice compliments Sehun. The voice of Luhan. The younger chuckles to himself slightly. "Can you always sit on that desk in the sunset?"

"I wish", Sehun states when finally looking at the other's brown eyes looking at him, totally lost in his beauty. "If you make me stay here forever, I always will."

Just a moment of silence and staring in the other's eyes, even so that it makes Luhan even more nervous.

"I really wanted to talk to you about some things", he says in a serious voice. Sehun smiles to him gently to encourage him to go on. "About that... That night."

"...What do you want to talk about in that night?" the younger wonders.

"...Firstly, I am very sorry I came onto you like that", Luhan apologizes with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Would I have replied to your kiss if I didn't want it too?" Sehun asks with an understanding voice, but turns red by it. "It's not your fault. You didn't know where the line was, and neither did I."

"...But... I really shouldn't have pushed you. If I would've known what he did to you I-"

"Please", Sehun stops him from talking. "I don't want to talk about him." Luhan looks at the ground with really sad eyes.

"...I wouldn't have made you to do it. I just want you to know that I care about you and I would never want to hurt you in any way, you don't deserve all that shit that's given to you. You deserve something much more, something better, something good and precious, and... I just wish I could give that to you", he says but feels a bit flustered by his own words.

On the other hand those words make Sehun really emotional. He looks at the other with big eyes, almost teary. Luhan sighs deeply before looking back up at the other's eyes, to find them staring at his, breathing deeply for not letting his feelings out.

He looks back down in his emotional state and leaves the drawing on the desk. He gets off the table slowly to sit on the bed next to Luhan, keeping the eye contact all the time. He looks at the other deep in the eyes, before taking his coffee and placing it on the desk.

Then, he pulls the other into a deep hug. Luhan blinks a few times, understanding nothing what's happening and why is happening, but feeling the younger's shivering body against his. Shivering, because of crying. He hugs back the latter and draws soothing circles on his back.

Sehun hugs Luhan so tightly he could almost hear the other's bones crushing. In a second he's already swung his legs on the other's lap and is pulling him on himself. The older tries to keep up with him and not to horribly crush him under him on the bed.

Luhan pulls back a bit, to see the other's face, red and puffy as a few tears escaping his eye.

The older leans down, nearer his lips. Sehun bites them while intensively staring at the older's. Luhan closes his eyes bit by bit as he leans closer and closer to feel those soft lips against his own.

Sehun replies to the kiss immediately. If someone really wants to make him feel like special, he is more than welcome to let them. If someone really cares for him.

After a soft kiss, Luhan pulls back a bit to just stare at the beauty under him, his hair laying on the bed. Sehun smiles to him gently, high from the good feeling of being taken care of. The older gently raises his hand to soothe the other's hair and caress his cheeks. Sehun could just start crying even worse. Is this a dream, or is this really happening?

"I would be more than happy", Luhan starts as he places another quick soft peck on his lips. "To make you happy."


	13. Ring Ring

Sehun mostly uses his time to study about the forces and to gather up the clues, but that never is that simple. Where could he even find any clues? Asking around would be just weird - and suspicious. He needs to make research about suspicious people, but avoid finding his way into any organizations.

Luhan spends his time in the station with the case. He also locks up in his office, leaving the other boy all needy for his attention. Sehun always waits in the living room for Luhan to stop working and cuddle him, maybe watch a movie with him or talk about something. He doesn't care what are they doing, as long as they're together.

Now they do have their own time. In a fancy restaurant, all the better. Luhan smiles gently to the other sitting across him. Sehun has dyed his hair back to black and is now wearing a white t-shirt and long light blue jeans. He has a golden cross necklace hanging from his neck, the small golden cross laying on his shirt. Like an angel, really.

Luhan has a black long-sleeved shirt and grey jeans, some chains hanging from his belt. His smile is like an angel, even though the person in front of him is much more of an angel than him.

Because the cop is always honest, his intentions were actually to have a romantic evening and then go back home to top the romantic evening with something a bit more exciting. Not all the way, of course, he wouldn't force Sehun to do such a thing. Maybe, just a little bit of touching and kissing to make the younger feel more comfortable around him and his touches.

It's the perfect evening for this. It's not late yet, and Luhan hopes, he really hopes, that his captain wouldn't call him so he could make this evening success.

"You didn't have to do all this..." Sehun gently says while hiding behind his hands. "I cannot even pay for the food... I can't do anything to give you back I-"

"Sehun", Luhan gently says his name and reaches out for his hand. "I want to do this. I want to do this for you, you don't have to do anything for me."

Sehun chuckles cutely to his cheesy lines.

Luhan could almost hear someone telling Sehun that you could give him some of that sweet ass-

But of course, a cop isn't like that. Not needy for ass like that. Not for a booty like Sehun's, nope, he doesn't stare at it when the latter makes coffee in the morning. Especially not when he's wearing those mini shorts.

"Thank you, I can never give you anything as good as you've given me."

_But that ass would be-_

"You don't have to. I just want to be with you", true that, "I want to treat you like a prince you are." Sehun smiles down to their interlaced fingers.

"...Thank you." He sighs a bit dreamily when just being all happy about this situation. He loves this and he could imagine himself also getting used to this.

"So, have you ever been on a date?"

"No, not really", the younger tells silently when looking up at the other in the eyes. Just looking at him makes his smile uncontrollable. "This is my first date ever."

"Really?" Luhan raises his eyebrows for that. "I can't imagine you being without all the fangirls and fanboys around you. At least tell me that people stalked you in school."

"No, not really", Sehun chuckles. "I have kept kinda low profile. I don't trust people that much, you know..."

"...You never did", the older exclaims. His eyes suddenly turn worried as he only stares at the other's smile. "I used not to either, actually."

"...But what happened then?" Sehun blinks innocently a few times, wanting to know what he's talking about. Luhan flashes him a smile, he's just too cute.

"...I didn't trust because of my parents who didn't love me like they loved their own daughter. I gained their trust only by being everything she needed for me to be. She was my life", the older tells, but as the memories hurt him, they shatter his smile. Sehun's smile drops too and he looks really worried for the other. He's kind of excited to know about Luhan's life too. "I loved her more than anything. She was my little sister and I made sure no one hurt her, I made sure she was strong in front of others while she could cry all her worries away in my arms."

Sehun has to blink away some tears from his eyes. Luhan feels a bit like crying, too, it's his past, his sister, his memories.

"I..." he doesn't want to make an eye contact with Sehun while saying this. The younger can feel that now he doesn't need calm stare, comforting smile - he needs ears that listen to all his worries. "...I could not do anything to save her. I was walking to my motorcycle, when I heard I got a message on my phone. I opened it. It was a video. It was..."

The older closes his eyes for a moment to calm down a little. He breathes heavily. Sehun gently caresses the back of his hand.

"...It was a video, made for me. They filmed me how they killed her." Luhan draws in an irregular breath. He doesn't like this subject at all, but it needed to be said. If he opens his heart for the other one, the other will open his heart too. "I'm sorry, I have never told this to anyone... It's just that... I really loved her so much..."

"It's okay", Sehun says in a calming matter, but he feels too emotional about this too. It also makes him remind his mother who was killed by those bastards. "It's not like I wouldn't understand what it's like to lose someone important to you."

Slowly, carefully, they raise their gazes to see each other again. Luhan sniffles a few times before smiling a bit, "Thank you. But, this was supposed to be a romantic evening. Me crying to you is not romantic." He himself chuckles, but Sehun only smiles sadly.

"...Have you ever thought about a real relationship?" he wonders silently. Luhan tilts his head a bit to the left.

"...A real relationship?" At this point a waiter finally brings their dinner.

"Have you been in a serious relationship, or just relationship at all?"

"...Not a serious one, no, can't say I have. I have dated some guys back in the days when I was near 20. I don't know why I always needed to be in a relationship to have sex with them. My little sister was two years younger than me, and I told her I was gay when she was fourteen. Since then I did things like that. She died when she was sixteen, and after that I wanted to become a cop. When studying, I realized that sex without feelings is much easier", he takes his fork and takes a small piece of the food laying on his plate. Sehun just nods a few times before slowly untangling their fingers and also tasting the food waiting on his plate. "Then what about you? Have you dated?"

"...I'm just thinking how you wanted to become a cop after you saw what happened to your sister..."

"Yeah, I kind of promised myself to do something really horrible to them when I meet them. That's why I also started to train my power."

"...You took it as your objective..."

"Yeah", Luhan says while munching his food. Sehun is kind of lost in his thoughts, thinking of how much Luhan really cares for people he loves. "Then what about your relationships?"

"I... I said already, I kept low profile. I made sure no one paid attention to me. I made sure no one really cared for me."

"And why the fuck would you do that? Really, you never needed to avoid people just because you had something others didn't. Don't be too careful in loving anyone", Luhan says silently the last part. Because he thinks that loving is never careful, not restrained. Sehun gently looks at him in the eyes.

"...I'm sorry. All I needed was mom and, well, she's not here anymore. I am kind of lost without her."

"Then I'll guide you", the older claims in a calming manner and looks at the other with big eyes. Sehun blinks a few times sadly before shaking his head a bit. "I'll be your guiding shining star."

"...Then I am the lost star... I just... I don't feel all that comfortable around other people."

"Then what about me?" Luhan smiles a bit. "What do you think about me?"

"Luhan", the younger whines suddenly. The other just chuckles at his cuteness when tangling their legs under the table. "We've been living in the same house for over two months. And we've... done things... We've kissed and so..."

Luhan narrows his eyes when trying to understand what's the other trying to say. Sehun sighs in frustration and turns his head away from Luhan so he couldn't read his mind. That's kind of cheating.

"...Are you... Trying to ask me to be... Your boyfriend?"

Just hearing that from Luhan's lips makes Sehun blush suddenly. His whole face is red and feels hot. Well what can he do about that Luhan's touches feel exceptionally good and safe and his embrace like he belonged in there?

"Sehun. Just look at me."

The younger raises his head slowly to show his flustered face to the other. Luhan only smiles at it, Sehun knows he thinks it's cute. They always say it's cute, even though it's nothing else than embarrassing.

"Let's be together", Luhan finally says it with a small smile. "Like a couple."

Sehun squeals in his mind. This is his first boyfriend ever. He shuts his eyes for a moment and just thanks God for giving him this joy.

"Sehun", the older calls for him. Sehun slowly opens his eyes to utter a laughter to the other's cute expression. "Tell me something. Something that you want from this relationship. And I will give it to you."

What would he want? Love? Yes. Caring? Cuddles? Intimacy? Yes, yes and yes. He wants everything Luhan can give him.

"I want..." Sehun starts with a small voice but he's interrupted by a noise. Luhan stretches out for his own back pocket.

The noise of a hit song interrupts Sehun. The noise of Luhan's ringtone.

The older looks at his phone tiredly and sighs. He glances at the other with eyes telling that he needs to go. Sehun cannot hide his disappointment.

Then the noise ends and Luhan replies to the call.

"What's the matter, captain?"

Sehun looks down at the table in thought. Luhan only keeps his phone against his ear.

"...Okay, I will be there in twenty minutes. No, I can't be there any quicker, I am on a date, you know."

Without even saying bye, Luhan ends the call. He grits his teeth in annoyance even though the younger should be the more hurt one - well of course he is hurt. Luhan sighs deeply.

"We have an important case in the station. We're working with FBI on it and the bastards come and go whenever they want to. I have been praised by the captain by my interrogation skills... You know what I'm talking about, but none of them knows anything - other than I'm good at talking. I have to be in an undercover mission", he tells when finally looking up at the other biting his lips and staring at the table. "My job will get in our way. Please, forgive me."

"It's okay..." Sehun whispers.

"I'm sorry, but I need to go. Come on, I'll drop you home." Luhan gets up and moves his seat closer to the table. Sehun shakes his head.

"I don't need to come with you. Actually I don't want to come with you. I'll walk."

"No, don't be silly. I'll take you home."

"No", Sehun says sternly when looking up at the older. "Just leave me alone." Luhan looks at him sadly and bites his lower lip.

"I am sorry, Sehun, but I really need to go. Just, take my wallet and pay the bill, will you?" He takes out his wallet and throws it before the younger, on the table. Sehun sighs in annoyance. How come every time he wants to be with Luhan, it's taken away? He cannot do anything about it, anyways, so might as well pay the bill.

***

Luhan walks to the station from his car. He keeps his steps quick so he wouldn't let the agents wait. His captain is most likely sitting already in his office with the agents and discussing with them about the case. FBI wouldn't work with the police unless Luhan wasn't part of the team. He has powers the others don't have, and they're interested about it.

He finds his way to his office after greeting the other cops on his way, faking a smile to all of them. In reality, he's very scared for what is going to happen.

Two agents in black are sitting on his desk and the captain is sitting on his chair. Luhan bows a bit to the two who now get up and walk closer to him to introduce themselves.

"Officer Lu Han?" the other asks.

"I am", Luhan nods. The agents look scary and secretive. He finds that he doesn't like it.

"FBI would like you to join."

"What?" Now this is an information much harder to understand. "FBI wants me? For what?"

"For your powers. We are aware that you have great interrogation tactics and what we found out from the tapes, we have noticed that you have some kind of psychic abilities. It's like you read their mind."

Luhan blinks a few times innocently. Suddenly he doesn't like this at all.

"We are truly sorry for ceasing your date."

"It's okay, my date will understand... Soon enough", the cop says in a low voice. "But what do you mean by my psychic abilities?"

"Mister Lu", the agent starts. "Can you say what number I am thinking about?" Luhan narrows his eyes. For this, he doesn't even need to focus.

"Eight, it's your daughter's age."

"Impressive. Now my partner here will show some number with his hand behind his back and you tell us what it is."

Luhan blinks again a few times. He doesn't understand what do these guys really want from him. To recruit in FBI? Really?

The other agent moves his hand behind his back and the other check what number he is showing. Luhan looks at both of them and reads their minds, which make him furrow his eyebrows.

"You're thinking about different numbers. One of you is trying to screw me. It's one or four."

The agent shows his hand and points one digit. The agents flash each other a smile. Luhan reads their minds again. He doesn't even have to hear them say it, he knows everything silently.

"I said he is our best interrogator, that's why we always count on him. Every suspect is known guilty or innocent after talking with officer Luhan", the captain says.

"No doubt. That's why we need your help, Mister Lu", the agent starts when making a really fierce eye contact with Luhan. The latter just stares at him like he already knew what he is needed for, which is true. "Do you date anyone? Do you have that specific other you love?"

Luhan blinks a few times. For this kind of question he was not prepared for, and he doesn't know what to say. Has the captain told them? He eyes for the said person and the agents do notice that.

"You're pretty easy to read, even for you know what all of us are thinking", the agent states. "Do you have a girlfriend, Mister Lu? What's her name?"

"Actually", he now starts with a bit more self-esteem. "I was on a date before this meeting and I just started dating. And you ruined it. Thank you."

"We are very sorry." No, his mind nor eyes tell that he would be sorry. "What is her name?"

This question makes Luhan kind of nervous. The captain has no idea that Sehun is living with him. He looks down and kicks the ground shyly.

"...His. I... Have a boyfriend." Right now he doesn't want to know what they're thinking about.

"What's his name?" Now his face really flushes bright red.

"...Sehun."

And the captain's eyes widen.

"...Sehun? Oh Sehun?" Luhan nods shyly. He did not want to say it in front of his captain.

"...Yeah... Oh Sehun..."

"How much do you care about this Sehun?" the other agent asks. Luhan raises his head up to see the men and look at them in the eyes. Then he curses the other in his mind for being a homophobic and the other simply nothing. He doesn't care at all.

"...A lot."

"...If you want to join FBI, you must leave him. And, in this case, we kind of need you to seduce this man so your boyfriend would probably not like that."

Luhan narrows his eyes.

"Why do I have to seduce anyone?"

"He is associated with the drug dealer and human trafficker. We believe that with your abilities we could make sure he never bothered us again and save the people before they're sold on. Interested?"

"...Well, first of all, I am not going to join if I have to leave my boyfriend. We just started dating and he is a nice person. He deserves to be loved. Secondly, I'm in the mission. Just give me details and I'm on it, but I will never join you."

"...Your loss. Your abilities would've been used in our organization. Okay, but here is the plan..."

Luhan comes closer to the agent who tells him detailed what to do in this mission. The captain, though, just keeps staring at his employee like he saw a ghost.


	14. That Is Perfect

The door clicks close and Luhan leaves his shoes at the front door. He looks up to see a beautiful figure of a man laying on the couch under a blanket, his eyes closed. Why does he look so worn out, Luhan does not understand. Maybe it really was devastating for him that the older just left in the middle of their date.

He needs to apologize.

Sehun slowly opens his eyes when hearing footsteps coming nearer to him. The older lowers down to his level and smiles a bit sadly. Sehun looks totally unamused by this. He blinks a few times when feeling a hand on his head, soothing his hair.

"I am really sorry I had to leave", Luhan breaks the silence. Sehun just blinks again, he's a bit tired.

"I know you had to."

"It's not fair, it was your first date. Our first."

"It's okay."

"No it's not okay!" he almost screams at the younger's face. Sehun blinks a few times in a calm manner. He's not really seeing the big deal in all this. The older looks at him with sad eyes, pursing his lips together. "I just... I just want to give you something perfect."

"...You saved me", he whispers. "That is perfect."

Nope, Luhan does not give up. He cannot let this happen. He is sure he hurt Sehun even though the younger is all fine, knowing that his work was calling for him.

So the cop decides to take the younger in his arms and carry him bridal style. The latter is a bit astonished by how strong such a small man can be. But Sehun really isn't very heavy, he's just tall.

Luhan kicks Sehun's room's door open and proceeds to take him to the bed. Sehun just smiles at him, covered in the blanket. When Luhan lands him on the soft mattress, the comfy blanket unwraps from his upper body to show his chest covered with a white tank top. When uncovering more of him, he discovers that the younger is wearing only boxers.

Sehun looks up at him blankly. He is not quite sure what is Luhan doing right now. The latter takes all his precious time to look at the other's body laying on the mattress, half naked.

Now to have some self-control. Luhan takes a deep breath to keep calm. Although that doesn't prevent him from sliding his fingers on the perfect marked skin with old scars. Poor shins. Poor deep scars all over his body. Poor boy.

Sehun wants to either kick Luhan or let him touch him from everywhere. He doesn't know. He swings his legs on the bed. Luhan takes a hold of the other and starts kissing down his knee to his thigh and even more down to his front.

Now he really doesn't know what to do. He would want to rub himself against Luhan and let him touch him from everywhere but not. Now is not the time.

"...No... Luhan... Stop..." he pleads. The older immediately raises his head from between Sehun's spread legs. "...Not now..."

"...I-I'm sorry, Sehun, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything I just-"

"Just shut up", Sehun says when raising up to sit and take a hold of Luhan and spin him on himself. The older is a bit shocked by this as he finds himself laying on Sehun, his hands on either sides of his head while the latter's hands on his chest, stopping him from getting on him any further.

Sehun takes a deep breath.

_This is just Luhan. He is safe, and he would never hurt you. This Luhan loves you and doesn't want to make you uncomfortable._

"You're really really tense", the older states while narrowing his eyes. Sehun tries to calm down and take his time. He purses his lips together, Luhan could almost see tears in his eyes.

But in the end he only smiles, leaving Luhan mesmerized.

"Just... Stay there", Sehun tells him while keeping him on place by holding hands on the older's broad chest. Luhan looks at him a bit sadly while smiling a bit also, but only a bit. For now he'll let Sehun adjust. "Just like your job, what happened to me will get in our way."

"I'm patient", he exclaims. "So it's okay. Everything's fine, really."

Sehun just keeps focusing on his breathing but the tingly burning inside of him feels... weird. Warmth that spreads from his chest and suddenly it feels like his heart was much bigger.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore", Luhan says with a calm voice. "You just have to say my name - once, twice, three times - and I'll be there in a flash of a lightning."

That is enough to make Sehun really emotional. He spins them around again so Luhan lands on the bed on his side and Sehun turns on his side to wrap arms around the older. He pushes himself against Luhan's chest and the other is more than willing to embrace him. He could feel the whole bed shiver as the younger sobs.

"It's okay, baby. I'll just go change my clothes and wash my face, then I'll sleep next to you. Okay?" He pulls away a bit as Sehun looks up at him. He places a quick peck on his lips before getting up from the bed and raising his finger at the younger who now embraces himself on the bed. "I'll be right back."

***

The morning starts with pouring rain. Puddles again, Luhan jumps over them easily while wrapping his arms on his chest. It's a bit cold, but the warm thought of how he spent last night wrapped up in a blanket with Sehun makes it bearable. The warm thought of finding the other asleep from his arms.

He didn't even wake up when Luhan left to work. Not even when he kissed him on his temple. Better let the boy sleep his traumas away.

Luhan had figured already that maybe Tao and or Kris could also keep him company. But then again he doesn't know them all that well to trust them. Maybe Sehun doesn't even want their company, if he only wants Luhan. Besides, they have each other. Maybe Luhan could find Sehun another member of the forces who would be similar to the boy. Maybe there is one similar for everyone...? Even for the cop.

Luhan stops right after opening the door to the station and standing in front of it. His hair are already wet and so are his clothes. He narrows his eyes when looking at a spot on the floor with such an interest.

Tao said Kris is special. Luhan also thinks Sehun is special. They are all gay for each other. Maybe they are... meant to be...? What if they have their 'the one' in the Twelve Forces? It cannot be a coincidence.

Well, his questions are about to be answered when he finally finds the missing pieces.

If.

"Hey, Luhan, we've been expecting you to the undercover", the captain comes to the door when noticing Luhan. The cop snaps out of it and his weird pause - people in the station are used to him being off at times because of his insomnia. "So, come with me to your office."

Luhan simply nods his head and walks right behind his captain. People are staring at them - some people don't like Luhan because he is the captain's pet for his interrogation skills. He is the best in the area. Offered with a place in the FBI...

They walk to his room. Luhan has to sharpen up now. Stop thinking about the cutie wrapped in a blanket waking up from his arms.

But isn't that just cute?

The two agents are sitting in Luhan's office and talking with each other. They have some files on the desk.

"So, officer Lu", the other one of them starts, showing a file to the officer. There are some info about the guy who is their catch. "Here is the man, named Lee Kyunghyun. We have followed him in FBI and know where he is this evening by listening to his conversations with the people he's associated with."

"So..." Luhan reads the information. Seems to be a black-haired man with a bit of wrinkles, not quite old but totally not the same age as the last one Luhan was associated with - or, Sehun was. "Where do I confront him?"

"A pretty boy like you might just be our savior. Your interrogation skills will prove us some information", the other agent keeps telling and the cop only nods. "The organization is having a party and now you are invited. Your name will be Xi Hanyu. You are a pretty boy just having fun like the rest, innocent and lively, totally gone with the flow."

Luhan nods a few times. Xi Hanyu.

"You're a transfer student from Beijing. When you have the chance to, take him to an awkward situation and, I don't know, follow him home and handcuff him to the end of the bed with a little foreplay or something. Then call for backup and search the house. Be quick, please."

"Sure, sure. I will make sure that we will have wonderful time", the cop nods his head. Unlike Sehun, he isn't afraid a single bit. Yeah the man is ugly as a frog but he can read his mind, he knows if this Mister Lee wants him or nah.

***

The evening comes closer and Luhan's time gets less every second. He has spent the whole day at the police station and he will most likely also spend most of the night, and oh boy Sehun is bored. He lays on the couch when going through some channels while petting Miss Cat. Nothing interesting again.

Just then someone rings the doorbell.

Sehun tenses up. Who could that be? The most dramatic possibilities cross the boy's mind immediately.

What if it's Luhan's ex? What if he's a criminal mad at Luhan and will hurt Sehun? What if it's a rapist?

Why the hell would a rapist knock on the door? Sehun shakes his head, what is he thinking about again. Seriously, he needs to open the door for the poor person or people behind it.

...But what if there's some bad people knowing where Sehun is? What if it's... Dmitri or Richard?

No, he needs to shake those things off. He walks to the door and takes a deep breath. Would a killer knock on the door?

He opens it just a bit by bit, to look at the shoes of the two men standing there. Those shoes look familiar. And those jeans are ripped from the knees. And those chains... Are totally not Dmitri's or Richard's.

When looking up, he is greeted with wide smiles by two Chinese men.

"Hello, Sehun-ssi", Tao greets when inviting himself in. Kris follows him and Sehun lets them, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Good thing it's just Tao and Kris.

"Hi Tao-ssi, hi Kris-ssi..." He closes the door calmly.

"Where's Luhan?" Kris wonders while walking further into the apartment. He thinks it's quite small, but bigger than his. Tao walks right after him, but turns to look at the boy at the door who's keeping his head low. Sehun recalls Kris not liking Luhan at all, why is he asking where he is? Or, maybe that's the reason.

"He is working. He's got a case with FBI and he's on an undercover mission, so he probably won't be back before midnight. He was gone before I woke up", Sehun tells sadly. He just wants to be near Luhan again.

"Good. I didn't much appreciate him", Kris says, but then immediately looks up at the Korean who is a bit sad. "Ah, I'm sorry to say such mean things about your man."

Sehun looks at him and blinks a few times innocently, "My man?"

"Hey, come on, Sehun", Tao utters a laughter. "Not like we wouldn't notice you two having something going on. You're more obvious than obvious, besides, that guy claims to be a decent cop but actually he's dreaming about your ass."

And now he chokes on air as Kris laughs with him.

"...What?"

"When he you made him coffee, he stared at your hips and ass with those hungry eyes", Tao exclaims. "If you're into three way, you know we could be more than happy to-"

"Can you leave?!" Sehun yells out of embarrassment and disgust. How could Luhan do something like that?! He's so gonna get slapped, he knows Sehun hates it when people stare at him like a piece of meat!

Just, how could he?!

"Okay, we'll shut up now", Tao raises his hands. Sehun glares at him really meanly. Kris sits down on the sofa and takes a better position.

"Wow, he does have a comfy couch."

"Why on earth are you two here?" the Korean asks out of annoyance. Tao looks at him now a bit apologetically.

"We wanted to talk about the forces. I... want you to tell us everything you know", he says. Sehun sighs as he walks to the couch and sits on the sofa table, right across the two. Tao sits on the couch too.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell all I know and all Luhan has told me. And for your information, we started dating just like yesterday."

Then he sassily throws his leg over the other and tells the story of the Twelve Forces. The forces he himself doesn't much know about.


	15. Captives

Luhan looks all around himself. Men and women are dancing around aimlessly. A big crown hangs from the ceiling. It lights up the whole wide place with some smaller lamps on the walls. So many people are just having fun and talking and making new acquaintances.

It's a big place, a mansion. He just stumbles there with gel in his hair, pulling them back a bit. He has a lot of makeup and on him is a dress shirt showing off a bit of his chest and a dress coat with pants the same color - dark blue. Something that suits him and makes him look like a flaming homosexual.

He eyes out the place. Some girls look at him from head to toes but he only gives them a gentle smile. He is not here to seduce a woman. He's here to play as a bottom.

Some men are sitting at the bar. Sophisticated. Everyone has a girl on their other arm. Except one. A lonely black-haired man waiting for some... other kind of company.

Yeah, that's his catch. Wow the man looks disgusting... But for the safety of other people, Luhan will take the chance and... catch this man and make him tell where are the kidnapped people.

He walks to them and sits at the bar, to the distance he would catch the man's eye. He looks down at the bar and the bartender gives him a free one. Luhan looks up at him and smiles sweetly, seeing how the guy winks at him. Now this guy reminds him of Brandon.

And his mind is just yelling gay at Luhan's face.

"Thank you", he politely thanks when sipping up the tequila like a sophisticated man that he is.

"No prob. A pretty boy like you must be spoiled", the bartender says, earning another heavenly smile from the cop.

Luhan takes another sip of his drink and finally noticing the man, Kyunghyun, looking at his way with a dreamy smile.

Now to the acting part. Luhan smiles shyly while hiding a bit behind his hand while chuckling.

And now the man just smiles wider. Luhan takes a shy sip from his drink while looking the other way. With the corner of his eye he can see the man getting off from his spot to get his own date hanging on his arm.

Oh, boy! This is gonna be fun!

Luhan looks the other way when sensing someone sitting right next to him - who other than Lee Kyunghyun.

"Did it hurt when your wings broke when you fell from heaven?"

Luhan almost chokes on air at this point.

Almost.

"Cliche", he says when turning to look at the man smiling at him. "You got anything better?"

The man takes a better position on his stool, "You could always show me the reason why you fell from heaven."

Luhan takes a sip of his drink and smirks a bit. He looks at Kyunghyun and blinks his eyes a few times. He can hear the man just dreaming about Luhan on the bed, under him, without clothes.

So disgusting!

"My name is Xi Hanyu. What's yours? I need to know it so I know what to scream", the cop says and he could almost feel the older getting stiff by this.

"Wow you're much better at this game, aren't you?" the man utters a laughter. "My name is Lee Kyunghyun."

"It's nice to meet you, Mister Lee."

"You can just call me Kyung. It's a bit... Easier to say. It's also a pleasure to meet you, Hanyu-ssi. You're not from South Korea, I assume?"

"No, no, my accent and name must've tipped you off. I am an exchange student from China, I'm a university student."

"Oh you must be very young. I must be twice as old as you are."

"Then that's just a perfect age for you to be my daddy", Luhan licks his lips in an arousing way. Now Kyung is just getting more stiff. The cop is thoroughly disgusted by these thoughts the man is thinking, but, he's just got to bear with it. At least he likes Luhan. Maybe a bit too much for his liking.

"You know... I've got a nice car with soft cushions in there. It's fast and riding in it doesn't even feel like being in a car at all."

"You know I can also..." Luhan leans a bit closer to him. "...Ride."

Wow he's done a great job tonight at being a horny slut, to the point that he's mentally applauding for himself. It works on the man, and he really seems to like this needy slut Luhan.

Well the cop himself doesn't feel all that great. He just hopes he doesn't really have to ride this man. That would be just so gross in so many ways he doesn't even want to know what kind of a hairy belly button under his shirt lays-

Okay, Luhan needs to calm himself down. He is always calm. How come he's not now?

Everything will go fine.

"I figure that my friends wouldn't really like to see me with a beauty like you, cause, you know", he rolls his eyes. "All of their dates have huge asses and fake boobs... You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, none of them has a dick", Luhan exclaims. Kyung smiles and nods a bit.

"So... Would you like to take this to end in my house?"

Luhan smiles a bit cheekily, "I would love to show you why I really fell from heaven."

Now that's the spirit!

Awkward spirit!

Luhan takes the man's hand in his own as he starts leading him outside. He must do this. It's not the first time.

Maybe he should've informed Sehun, though. The poor boy must feel horrible after Luhan's gonna tell him. He just really hopes he really doesn't have to ride him. He must take it to end before the man touches him in any way-

Well that's gonna happen anyways so he just has to take control of the situation.

"My car is in this direction, darling", Kyung says when now leading Luhan towards his car. The cop just flashes him a smile.

"...Of course."

They walk to the white car, new model, one Luhan hasn't seen in ages - and never, this close. Drug dealers really do make money.

"Wow!" he fakes his surprise. "This is amazing! How could you ever afford this?"

"Well, let's just say I have quite a legacy from my father and also a company that makes a lot of money."

"What kind of a company do you have?" Luhan wonders when the man opens the door for him. He gets inside and places his suitcase on his lap. Good thing the man doesn't know what could be in there. Anything a cop would need. But the seats really are very comfortable.

Kyung walks to the other side of the car and gets in before saying, "My father's company. Cigarettes."

"Does a cigarette company make that much money?"

"It's the biggest in the whole country, so you catch my point. I also have some investments that give me quite a bit of money."

"Oh."

Luhan takes a better position on his seat while the man starts the car and puts on the radio. Weird enough, the guy still listens to new music, what's popular now in the country and in the world. Now his music taste doesn't suck that bad, Luhan figures.

"So, we're going to your house?"

"Yeah."

_Good. Things go a lot quicker than I thought. I guess I made him hard and too excited to wait, judging by his thoughts..._

"Good."

"While we're at it, would you like to tell me some things about yourself?" Kyung asks. He's already driving, the car smoothly rolling in the streets to the city. Luhan goes through the plan and possible happenings in his mind, what could he do wrong.

His mind doesn't say anything fishy. 

"Things like... What exactly? I am from Beijing and came here about two years ago. I got friends and go out with them occasionally."

"How did you find himself in the party?"

"I got an invitation."

"From who? You know they're not just for anyone."

"...Yeah, I know that", Luhan says but thinks the better of it immediately. Who exactly invited him? FBI. What can he say?

"...So? Who fixed you in?"

Now this is very awkward. What could he say besides laugh nervously? Come on, this is not the first time he's been in a situation like this. When reading the man's mind, he can actually notice Kyung not caring all that much.

"...I knew it. You were there just for the party, right? You didn't get an invitation, just slipped in, didn't you?"

"...I-I'm very sorry, I-"

"That's okay. If you hadn't sneaked in I would've never caught you from the bar."

"Yeah, you're right." Well that was an awkward moment well dodged. Way to go! Guess the man really thinks Luhan is there only to party like a youngster that he is. Or, younger that he pretends to be.

Kyung drives to a mansion's yard and Luhan can already fake his jaw dropping to the ground. The man looks at him with a smirk when getting out of the car in a second and walking to the other side to open the door for him.

"This thing is huge!" he exhilarates when almost jumping out the car. Kyung utters a laughter as he takes Luhan's hand in his own and starts taking to the main entrance. Luhan speeds up a bit. He wants this to be over as quickly as possible. What would the man have in hiding?

Two storage, a terrace, maybe there is also a basement!

Before Luhan can even take the first glance of the lounge, hands grip on his sides, push him against the wall and he could feel the pain on his back. His eyes shot open as the man starts kissing his neck.

For a moment he keeps his hands on his chest and just looks blankly at the wall. Kyung must have drank a bit before talking to Luhan at all.

Acting! Now!

He raises his hands slowly on the older's back and fakes a low moan. The man seems to like it, for Luhan's amusement and disgust. He is still holding the suitcase on his hand, he cannot let it go, all his cop thing are in there.

"...Kyung-ssi... Where's the bedroom...? I want you to take me now", Luhan fakes his neediness again while throwing his head back. He tries to think about something much hotter than this to make the atmosphere not so... tense.

The man pulls back a bit. Luhan can feel Kyung's hard against his thigh. This isn't pleasurable at all.

He takes the cop's hand in his own. Luhan closes his eyes for a moment to think about something hot for him to fake a boner.

Oh how about the wet dream he saw about Sehun a few nights back? Sehun was laying on the bed naked and he was laying between his spread soft legs. He took a hold of the younger's leg and kissed a line from his knee down his thigh to his shaft and then kiss up his body to his lips. He pulled away to see Sehun's lips parted a little.

_"Make love to me, Luhan. Gently, the way that makes me forget everything about... him."_

He wasn't needed to be told twice. He pushed in gently, sometimes asking Sehun was he okay while the younger just nodding. He took a hold of his hips and Sehun wrapped his arms around his neck, slowly shutting his eyes as he started to thrust in with a slow pace, speeding up a bit time after another till the younger was screaming his name and crying how he's gonna come-

Luhan is interrupted from his thoughts when the man pushes him against the bedroom's wall. He is a bit lost again. It's like dreaming when you're awake, suddenly waking up to find out horrible noises of a man breathing onto your neck.

He lets out another fake moan as he throws his suitcase on the end of the bed. The man starts grinding his front against his and Luhan just closes his eyes, trying to focus on the thought of Sehun.

_He'll wait you at home._

_Wrapped up in a blanket in bed with Miss Cat laying in there with him._

_His back is facing the door and he sleeps on his side._

_His shoulders are broad and naked, he's wearing a top as always when sleeping._

_The moonlight highlights his lower body._

_When hearing steps stopping at his door he turns on his back and lays his arms on both sides of his head._

_He blinks a few times with tired eyes but never flashes a smile at you._

_"You're home."_

Luhan grinds his front against the other's. Now or never, and he would really like to go home back to see Sehun. He throws in a few moans to fake pleasure when it's more like screams of disgust.

He pushes the man off of himself and forces him to sit on the bed. Kyung looks up at him with dreamy eyes but not for too long when Luhan pushes him down on the bed even more.

"Just make yourself comfortable", he starts as he takes off the man's dress coat and starts unbuttoning his shirt. "And enjoy."

Kyung smirks at him before making his way to the bed's headboard. He crosses his arms behind his neck and watches as Luhan walks in front of the bed. He first looks at the suitcase, then the man.

And then, he starts taking off his dress coat slowly. The man just smirks.

_This is so disgusting. How does Tao bear with these kind of people?_

He throws away his shoes and socks and opens up his pants he also drops on the floor. He unbuttons his shirt which makes the man just more excited. Luhan has fine abs and that chest is just making him drool. He is a perfection...

...That could never be his.

Luhan drops his shirt on the floor too. He is standing only in his boxers that show his erection through the fabric clearly. He smiles in a seductive way to the man who has some hard times to stay put.

He crawls onto the bed but stops to take something from his suitcase - handcuffs. Now this is something Kyung didn't know he had but Luhan just smirks. Now who's the winner?

He crawls on the bed, on the man and straddles his stomach. He leans in to cuff the man to the headboard, the poor guy knowing nothing about what's gonna happen. The playful smile on his lips doesn't fade even when Luhan turns a bit to take the suitcase in his hand and get something from there.

When feeling a cold pipe against his chin and seeing an evil glint in Luhan's eyes, then his smile drops.

"Tell me where the captives are and who's in charge of your little drug dealing, and I'll let you go."

Kyung blinks a few times and wonders what is this guy even doing. Luhan can read it, and that's why he decides to hit him with the back of the gun he's holding.

"Ow! You little slut! Who are you even working to?!"

"FBI and Seoul police department. Now tell me where are the captives!"

He looks at the man in the eyes. Treachery. All he can think of is what kind of a fool he was and how mad his boss is gonna be.

"Aren't you a little bit flustered about this incident? You really thought I was gonna ride you?"

"Well you played your part pretty well."

"Thank you. I guess I am convincing after all." But that doesn't give Luhan answers. He hits the man again and tries to focus on reading him.

"You fucking little piece of-"

"Are they being held somewhere? Where do you sell the people?" Luhan narrows his eyes. Kyung looks at him with angry expression on his face.

"Over my dead body I am-"

"Images, images, images. They are kept in cages, yeah? You're drugging them, right?" Now the man is looking at Luhan with clear uneasiness in his eyes. _How could this bitch know that?_ "You better start telling me. In a basement? In a club? There are flowers in the corner of the room and a rosy red couch. The room is filled with... different kind of red colors. Where is this place?"

"...How could you possible assume something like that-" Kyung is about to say, but Luhan digs the pipe deeper into his neck.

"...Do you have a basement, _Kyung-ssi_?" Luhan asks with clearly mocking him. The man shakes his head slightly. "You're lying to me. Where can I get there?"

Now he knows to keep his mouth shut. Luhan won't, and this is actually easier this way. He can ask what he wants, and the man will be silently replying in his mind.

"...It's under the stairs...?"

Kyung keeps his mouth shut and won't even look at Luhan. The cop exhilarates in his mind, though, because now he knows the captives are in the basement of this house. He jumps off the bed and takes his phone from his suitcase. He walks to get some clothes on and a peace of mind.

"...Yeah, captain? Can you give me some reinforcements? I know where the captives are."


	16. Obsessive Love

Luhan walks away from the man who keeps cursing in his mind for letting a cop in his home. Hopefully the dealers are not after him now that they take their jailer to prison.

There is a basement indeed, Luhan stomps his feet on the floor to find some empty space under it. He walks to the hallway where are the stairs up, and under them, under a carpet, is a small hatch downstairs, to the basement.

He kicks away the carpet to find a small handle he can pull towards himself, and the hatch is open. Creepy stairs down, but the place itself doesn't look so bad for keeping prisoners. It's in dim light and there are carpets on the floor. Also, there seems to be some smoke, Luhan figures, which smells like weed.

He walks down the small stairs down to find a small little room. There's a small wooden table with a rose in a vase on top of it and some lamps on the wall. The wallpaper is also violet with small detailed flowers. Right in front of him is a sliding door. No other doors. Just the one.

Noises. Some crying.

Luhan points his gun towards the door when pulling it on his left.

The room is still violet and red. There are still lamps on the wall. On the back is a bar and couches, and even a billiard table with a few cues laying on it.

Ashtray.

And six cages.

When hearing the door open they all start to either cry or beg.

Luhan looks at each small cage eyes wide. The people are sitting on their knees, holding the bars and looking at him with pleading eyes. They're dirty. They're scared. And they want drugs.

He crouches on the floor to look at the lady in the cage right next to him. The woman pulls his hands and breathes heavily.

"...Please... Please... Give it to me... I need it... I want it... I will die without it..." she breathes out. Luhan takes a hold of her hand and leaves the gun out of no one's reach.

"...What do you want? What do you need?"

"...I... I need it... The... Fix..." Luhan turns her hand to see her veins. And right as he thought, she has punctures all over her arm, near the vein. Her veins are showing and she's sweating and shivering horribly. 

"I don't have it, but I am a cop. I will help you out of here. The help is on its way right now, just hang on a minute, okay? You can trust me. I am a police officer from Seoul police department, my name is Luhan."

The lady looks all around herself. Now Luhan doesn't think she's paying attention to him anymore.

When looking on his left, he sees a man staring at him with big brown eyes. His gaze is really intense, and maybe a bit scared.

The cop's eyes widen immediately. He leaves the lady alone when there is the certain pull towards this man.

Yes, he is. He is a member of the forces.

"...If you can't give it to her, can you give it to me...?" he asks with a small voice, blinking to stop his tears. He is also shivering and suddenly looking behind Luhan, sometimes looking behind himself. The cop also looks behind himself, but there is nothing. Just the paranoia of the withdrawal.

"I don't have anything. I am officer Luhan from Seoul police department. I am here to help. What's your name?" Luhan talks with silent voice so he wouldn't hurt anyone, and slowly enough for the other to understand. The man tries to really pay attention to him but he is snapping out of it.

"...Kai..."

"Kai, I am taking you all to detoxification treatment. Uhm, where your addictions are healed. When you're in there, tell the nurses that officer Lu needs to talk to you, okay?"

"...Why...? Who...?"

"Just say officer Lu wants to talk to you. Can you remember?"

"...Officer Lu... Wants... To talk... To me...?"

"Yes, that's right, good boy."

Steps at the front door make Luhan jump up. That must be either the help or some bad guys here to shoot him. Either way, he takes his gun in his pocket and stands with arms above his head.

Two men in blue uniforms walk down the stairs while pointing their guns at Luhan. When seeing the familiar face they drop down their weapons and Luhan drops his hands.

"You already found that Mister in the bedroom?" he asks when crouching again when the cop next to him does the same.

"Oh... We didn't. But now I think an ambulance taking these guys away would be the best", he exclaims when already taking out his radio but looking up at the other cop. "Ahn, go check that out and take him to the car. Lu, do you have a vehicle?"

"Nope. You have to take me to the station, my car's there."

"Okay, I'll take care of it. 

"Do you want to interrogate him? I think he might be a little embarrassed to see me anymore."

"I can imagine. I wouldn't really say anything in front of you anymore either."

"Yeah... So, let's just wait for the help."

***

When Luhan is finally safely back to the police station, he just says to the captain that he's going to go home immediately. The captain tries to keep him in there, but the lack of Sehun right here is making him crazy.

"No, before you go, I want to ask you something", he keeps insisting. Luhan sighs and turns around to look at the man with an unimpressed look on his face. "What you did was remarkable to all of us, and I will give you a bonus for it. But what I want to make clear to you is that we in this station have a very important rule for all the polices, and that rule does not exclude you. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

Luhan narrows his eyes. He wraps his arms on his chest and purses his lips together. The captain sighs heavily and holds his hand on the cop's shoulder, but the latter pushes it away.

"I don't care about my cops' gender, nationality, sexuality, appearance, religion, or anything as petite. I care about their abilities and their obedience for the law. You, Luhan, are one of the best cops in the whole country and you know it, but you have to follow the rules like everybody else in this world. You must know that as a savior for many people, they look up to you. They love you. Women and men crush on you for being their help in the time of need. And we, as cops, as role-models, cannot use that vulnerability for our own advantage."

But that just makes him furious. He looks at his captain with furrowed eyebrows.

"Are you saying that I'm using him?" he asks with a sharp voice.

"We do not date victims, Luhan, and that rule is for all. Like people don't date their customers. He was sexually assaulted, raped, depressed, sad, and in need of comfort. We make people trust again by our actions and by the law, not by sleeping with them and committing into something we cannot keep and in the end hurt them even more. That does not help them to trust again."

"Like hell he would even let me touch him. He is not like other victims, he is different, he is..."

"...Weak. Like all the others."

"No!" Way to go yelling at the station, like people wouldn't hear them. "He is not, he-"

"Likes men. Just like you do."

"That's not what I meant!"

"You're in love with his weakness, aren't you? You love it when he's helpless so he could come back to you. You are his savior and don't want anyone to touch him."

"No!"

"Yes, I know what I am talking about, I have seen it. Here once worked an officer before you, who fell in love with a woman who was sold to a man against her will. She idolized him. He was her savior who comforted her. He fell in love with her weakness, physically and mentally. She fell in love with his strength, physically and mentally. The man came obsessive over her. If anyone touched her, he was furious. He locked her in their bedroom every time he came to work. Every time she tried to stand up for herself, he made her weak. He loved it. She hated it. I interrogated him, arrested him, and freed her. He's got a restraining order. And I replaced him with you, so I don't want to see a fiasco like that ever happen again-"

"He was sick!" Luhan quickly butts in to defend himself. "I am not like him!" Without even noticing, he's gripping on the captain's shoulders. The latter looks at him with bold face. "I am not sick!"

Now the captain looks at his hands and then Luhan's eyes that have started to water. His angry brows turn to sad when he finally realizes what he's talking about. His hands drop and he covers his face.

"...I just want him to be happy... I... I have not been around him in over twelve hours and I miss him... You wouldn't understand..." He can never tell the captain that they're both part of something as The Twelve Forces. Now would he think Luhan is a bit cuckoo?

"You are usually very calm, Luhan. You know, I have a wife. And I love her. If I see anything different in you I will tell you about it. But I would advise you to leave him before it's too late. If it gets to that point, I will separate you two forcefully."

Luhan raises his gaze and shakes his head rapidly, "It won't. I always ask him if I am doing something wrong, I always take care that I am not hurting him, he's... Not the only one who's weak..."

The captain flashes him a smile and hugs very quickly, leaving Luhan a bit hanging, "Good. That's what I want to know. That's what you have to keep it like. If I see changes in your attitude, then you even if being the best cop in the whole world, will get fired."

Luhan nods his head a few times before rudely turning his back and opening the door outside. It's dark and he wants to go home.

***

Sehun sits on the kitchen chair and looks outside. When will Luhan come back, he wonders when waiting for seeing car lights. He sees cars passing by, and each makes him more depressed.

Tao and Kris left a few hours ago already, much to Sehun's relief. Even if they're part of the forces, being with them makes him kind of... awkward. He feels anxious when there's no Luhan to hide behind. He's found himself really relying on Luhan's help... He's the only person he trusts. Why does he trust Luhan...?

Well someone drives to the garage now. Sehun almost jumps up.

It's Luhan! It's finally him.

Like a dog he runs to the door but like a human he opens it, peeking outside like a bird. Luhan throws the door close and locks the car doors, keys jingling in his hand and a suitcase hanging in the other. Sehun shuts the front door and waits for Luhan to open it, to find him standing there.

It's nearly midnight.

It's very cold, and Sehun is only wearing sweat pants and a big t-shirt. His hair are messy and he rubs his eye when his boyfriend finally opens the door to give him first a weird look, and then a wide smile. He closes the door and leaves his shoes at the entrance, but he cannot do anything else when Sehun is already walking towards him to catch him into his embrace.

Luhan doesn't take long to reply to the hug, just digs his head in the crook of the taller one's neck and breathes in his scent. It has already in these two months started to feel like home.

Sehun's arms tighten around his upper body. He lays his head on the older's shoulder, hugging the life out of him.

"You're home." His voice is silent.

"Yeah... I am."

"I missed you."

"...You talked to me last night, you shouldn't be missing me", Luhan exclaims against his neck. Sehun shakes his head. Luhan missed him too, even though it sounds silly to him.

"Can you sleep next to me again tonight?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to change and shower first?"

"No need to." Luhan leaves a gentle kiss on his skin before sighing deeply. "Let's just sleep."


	17. I Promise

Sometimes when looking at someone's suffering, hearing their thoughts, they haunt one's mind.

Luhan could almost hear the screaming when Kai was thrown into the surviving room with soft walls and floors.

He could hear him yelling and hitting his head to the wall.

The bed's mattress is most likely in pieces.

The cottons on the floor.

It feels like a nightmare.

When listening to other people's minds, Luhan sometimes forgets some of his own. He is not entirely sure what is going on in his head, or is it from someone other's.

But right now he is sure about one thing. The most important thing. The person breathing peacefully, the person in his arms. The chest he's laying his head against, the warm breath that lands on his hair.

He looks up to find Sehun hugging the life out of him. It's morning, and he saw a nightmare about what's going on in Kai's mind, that's why the younger must be squeezing him this tightly.

He leans up to the other's lips and pecks them quickly to wake him up. Turns out he wasn't really sleeping at all, just opens his eyes immediately and looks totally unimpressed by this action, but also worried, eyebrows furrowed. Luhan smiles at him a bit, but he blinks a few times in wonder.

"Morning", Luhan says sleepily, but Sehun replies with sad eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Are you feeling okay?" The older narrows his eyes when Sehun just pouts. "You were screaming last night."

"...What?" He shakes his head and flutters his eyes. He figures quickly that he must've seen the nightmare about Kai. Sehun just closes him tightly in his embrace, to the point where Luhan lets out a huff of air.

"...You screamed. You were so... scary... So I hugged you and wanted you to stop..."

He flutters his eyes again. Not a single picture of the dream pops into his mind. So he just leans in to kiss Sehun on his cheek, to calm down the latter who was trying to calm him down.

"It's alright. It's just that when I read minds I might live in their heads a bit. I probably saw a dream that one of the patient's had."

"What?" Sehun sits upright and Luhan immediately turns on his side to rest on his elbow. "What kind of dreams... What kind of patients...?" He has some hard times to accept all this. In the early morning, Luhan started to scream and tremble violently, he was sweating and gripping the sheets. He didn't know what to do, so he embraced Luhan in his arms tightly while waiting it to stop.

"Drug addicts. He was... in serious need of help, just like the others. But what makes him special, is that he belongs to one of us."

Sehun's eyes widen.

"...You found a member... Who's a drug addict...?"

"Yeah", Luhan shrugs as he sits up to cup Sehun's cheeks. "We won't be able to talk to him before he's feeling a bit better. But I really, really, really appreciate that you helped me in this... seizure."

"You've helped me in these for a great number of times. Why wouldn't I help you?"

"Sehun", Luhan sighs deeply. The younger blinks a few times when looking at him deep in the eyes. "How much do you trust me?"

"...More than I could ever trust in a person."

"What about Kris and Tao? Do you trust them?"

"...A little bit. I mean, I can be around them but I would prefer you being next to me when I do."

Luhan nods his head a bit and looks down at the mattress. He tosses off the blanket from himself and jumps up the bed. He is only wearing underwear and a t-shirt. Sehun also has pants on, and a tired look on his face when he looks up at the older who's now trying to find something to wear.

"I have to drop by the station at some point, but I don't have to do that yet. I might as well tell you what the captain said about our relationship", Luhan tells when putting on his socks. Sehun narrows his eyes and shakes his head a bit when also getting up from the bed.

"How does he know we're together? We've dated for only like two days."

"Well, it turned out that FBI wants me but that would need me to leave you, so I said no. That's why he knows." Luhan is not making a big deal about it and goes to his closet to find something to put on himself. Not that he would want to hide his perfectly muscled legs from his fresh boyfriend, but he really doesn't feel like being hot. He just jumps in his pants and looks at the younger whose jaw is dropped to the ground.

"...You said no... Why...?"

"Do you understand what even is FBI? Like hell I would work in there. All my life I've wanted things to be simple and normal, and that organization would be just the opposite." He zips his pants when Sehun just sits behind him on the bed, hands between his knees, eyebrows furrowed. Luhan turns around and drops his head when noticing the other a bit upset about something.

He crouches on his knees with a deep sigh and takes Sehun's hands in his own, placing his arms on the other's thighs. He soothes the back of his hand calmly while feeling the worried eyes on him.

And head leaning towards him, lips leaving a quick peck on his forehead.

"...The captain told me about this guy whose place I took at the station. He... dated one of the victims. He was obsessed over her, and he started to abuse her, mentally and physically. Cause she was weak, and he was strong. Captain said that he wants that case to never happen again... Sehun, we cannot date victims. We cannot... date clients", he says while looking down at his lap. Sehun narrows his eyes and shakes his head before lending his hand from his and starts to gently soothe his hair. Luhan falls down to lean his head against Sehun's knees.

"...So... You cannot date victims... It makes sense, every place has that rule." His voice is gentle, just like his hand petting the other's head. "But... We are part of the forces, he could never understand. We can't leave each other."

"...And how would I tell that without him thinking that I am in need of the police therapist? He said that he'll keep an eye on me... If anything is off with you, he'll most likely... Ask about me..." At this point Luhan can't take it anymore as he turns his head up and cups Sehun's face. The latter looks at him with big eyes. The expression on his face is so terrified Sehun feels more sorry for him. "You know you can always leave the house and you should sometimes, and if something's wrong, you have to tell me, okay? If I do anything that-"

"Relax, Luhan, jeez", Sehun takes a hold of his hands and puts them down back on his lap. Luhan looks at the ground with a little bit of embarrassment. "You don't have to worry about all those things, okay? You are not the only one in this relationship. It's been two days and you're already like that. Come one, they must have had some problems anyways. It's nice to know that if you ever get violent on me, I can always call your captain, but I think he's just trying to scare you, so you wouldn't do the same mistake as he did and were conscious about his actions. Try to relax a bit, okay?"

Luhan sighs deeply when Sehun slides off the bed and wraps arms around him. The older slowly replies to the hug with wrapping arms around him too.

"...I asked... One thing you want from me... And I will give it to you... What would you want...?" Luhan asks when remembering the date. Sehun closes his eyes and snuggles against him a bit better.

"...I want... You to take care of me..."

"...I'll guard you with my whole life."

 

 

 

After dropping by at the station for like three hours, Luhan comes home. Luckily, he doesn't have any cases like this at the moment, and he hopes that he wouldn't have either. That was exhausting. Right now he would just want to wrap up in a blanket on the couch with Sehun and the cats laying there with them.

It's like Sehun had read his mind, he's sitting there changing the channels and Mister Cat on his side, Miss Cat on the other. Luhan walks closer to him with a wide smile on his face and he doesn't even notice before startling to feel a kiss on his head.

"God you scared me."

"By kissing your head", Luhan huffs and takes off his shoes to put them at the door. Then he can move Miss Cat a bit aside, actually to the other side with Mister Cat, and take half of the couch when leaning his head on Sehun's shoulder and clinging on his arm. "You've got my makeup on your face."

"I'm sorry I couldn't resist. I haven't had makeup since we... We went to that bar."

"Oh, right. Did you like it?" Luhan snuggles on him a bit better while making an annoying sound that is just an act of love and all the fluffy things. Sehun's face becomes blank instantly.

"Oh... No. Not at all. I am sorry, Luhan, but I don't think that club life is for me."

"We could try it without... You know... Trying to sell ourselves. Let's just a grab our suitcases and have fun and drink and be drunk and dance on the floor and I could show you off a bit to Brandon."

"No, I don't drink, I don't have fun, I don't dance, and you don't show me off to Brandon." Luhan rolls his eyes when playfully hitting Sehun's chest.

"You're no fun."

"As I said."

"Let's watch something." Luhan takes the remote from Sehun who sighs and now it's his time to roll his eyes. He successfully finds a horror movie playing on the TV and he just lets it, even though Sehun will eventually hide behind his back. "...When would you want me to train you with your power?"

"Oh", the younger replies but decides to keep silent. To be really honest he's a bit lazy about this matter. Luhan looks at him with a pair of judging eyes.

"You have to learn your airbending. And I am going to help you. I don't really have to go to the station, captain gave me a few days off to spend with you and for my great work. I don't have anything to do before Kai is sober enough to talk to me. Right now he must be sniffing some empty deodorants to get intoxicated."

"Okay, okay, we can start tomorrow or the day after it or something... Some day. But now you have to cuddle me before the boogeyman comes." He wraps his arms tightly around Luhan and the older just sighs when hugging him back to save him from the boogeyman in TV.

 

 

 

Luhan sits down on the couch and looks at his boyfriend with a small smile. The latter just blinks a few times in confusion and doesn't really understand what to do. Well Luhan did say that they should practice but guess who said he didn't feel like it, and now, almost two weeks later when facing the older again, he sighs. He knew this coming sooner or later, it's been already over two months, almost three, since he even showed his power.

The cop takes Sehun's hands in his own and looks at him in the eyes very seriously. However the younger blinks a few times again, not understanding what's going on. He stares at the black eyes of the older who goes a bit further away from it.

"Show it to me", he begs. "Show me your power."

"What?" Sehun is dumbfounded, but then he remembers. He has to practice before his power is totally forgotten and ruined. "I... I don't know how to... I really don't, I don't feel very threatened."

"...You need to feel threatened?" Luhan asks with his voice a bit too high-pitched for Sehun's liking, so he blocks his ears. The older shifts a bit closer. "I need you to burst, Sehun, so you better figure out something. I don't know though, I am probably too deep in your mind and your heart for you to feel threatened about anything I do to you."

"Well..." Sehun now uses the high-pitched voice Luhan finds unpleasant.

"Let's not do those high-pitched voices anymore, please", the older begs. Sehun replies with a simple nod before going on with his story.

"You have made me feel threatened. Sexually, mostly, because of my traumas. You kind of like touched my shoulder when we met and you kind of like, uhm, opened my legs and bit my neck like a wild animal."

"Oh", the older says shortly when jumping up on his boyfriend who's already starting to feel dizzy about this position. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Don't calm down. Show me what kind of powers you have."

He starts to open Sehun's legs with his knee and pushes it down to touch the younger's front, but the latter is already feeling awful about this. Luhan just pushes himself down against Sehun's body, not minding the whimpers he lets out at all. What he now cares about is the power, but the younger isn't giving him anything except begs.

"...Please, Luhan... Get off of me... This isn't helping at all..."

"Then do something that helps!"

"Get off of me!" Sehun punches Luhan unintentionally straight in the face. The older is a but shocked by this, and now holding his cheek for the punch. The worst part is that Sehun doesn't feel sorry, he wants Luhan to really leave him alone.

So the younger hops off of him on the ground. Sehun opens his eyes in terror and breathes heavily, his body trembling a bit. He looks around himself in fear before jumping off the couch and running to his room, slamming the door close.

Luhan jumps on his feet and runs to the door to bang on it three times loudly, but realizing quickly that it must just make Sehun feel more horrible. So he drops on the ground and curses at himself.

Sehun hugs his knees on the bed and falls on his side, still trembling, eyes widened open and slightly teary. He doesn't like this where this is going. He doesn't like this Luhan who only wanted him to show his power, one thing that is supposed to make him one with eleven others, but has only made him more lonely.

He shivers on the bed, but good thing Miss Cat is here to save the day - almost. She purrs on his face and pushes herself against Sehun's back, but he doesn't make a single movement besides from the shivering that is totally not caused by her. He takes a deep inhale and closes his eyes.

_"...I'm sorry, Sehun... I ruined everything... I am selfish for doing that, I really thought it would work... Please, Sehun, I'm begging you, please forgive me..."_

The younger listens to the cries of his boyfriend, but doesn't do anything about it.

Although there is something that he has to do.

He closes his eyes tightly and takes Miss Cat in his arms. He doesn't want to risk her life for what he is going to do now.

Now he is trying to do something very risky and also something that might destroy this room.

He decides to drop the show. He lets out his feelings that are mixing in his mind and in his heart.

In the air a baby starts crying. That shocks Sehun a bit, but when he drops down his table lamp from the nightstand, that does indeed scare him.

He open his eyes and looks behind himself.

But there is no need to get frightened over such things. It's normal... for him. And in this case, it's expected.

Sehun lets out another huff of air as he hugs Miss Cat tightly, getting ready to make a storm Luhan could never see coming! So he lets out his feelings that are swelling inside of him like a bad curse. He lets them in the air with force that starts to throw things in the room.

The lamp is broken, his pen and his notebook starts flying around, the clothes on the floor start to all spin in a circle around Sehun who's hugging Miss Cat. She is frightened to death, holding Sehun with her claws.

Luhan rummages the door when hearing all the noises of things throwing against the wall and a strong wind.

_"Sehun! Are you okay?! Sehun!"_

The boy covers his ears and cries. The storm only gets stronger.

_"Sehun! Sehun!! Stop it! Stop!"_

The things in the air bang against the walls and the floor when the storm ends. He hears the door being knocked furiously, and Luhan doesn't let go. He can't keep him in there, so he kicks the door open and finds Sehun laying in the bed, crying, covering his face under his now messy hair. Miss Cat looks around herself in horror.

Luhan runs to his boyfriend quickly and shakes him from his side. The latter whimpers a bit from the touch, but when the older forces an eye contact, warm arms are soon around him.

"...It's okay, Sehun. Please don't cry, it's over. I am so sorry I hurt you that way I will never ever do it again."

"...Luhan... Don't hurt me like that... You know where I'm sensitive... You know what I fear... Please... Never do that... Again..."

"I promise I won't", Luhan assures when hugging Sehun tighter on the bed and placing a sweet kiss on his forehead. "...I promise..."


	18. Achievement

Sehun lays his body on Luhan, straddling his lap and caressing his cheek gently. They are just having great time in the living room, on the sofa, while Mister Cat is craving for attention while sitting on the floor and staring at what on earth are they doing.

Actually, Luhan is not so sure either.

"You are so pretty", Sehun whines and then wraps arms around Luhan's neck so tightly and just breaths in his scent. "You're so handsome and hot and you must have been working out, you look so great and your caring nature, letting me do everything I want is the best way of showing that you love me more than anything in the world..."

"Sehun", the older sighs deeply and pushes the other slightly off of his chest. "I love you, more than anything in the world, but no, we can't stop our practicing here."

Now that's a way to make Sehun stomp off of him so madly that the walls shake from his sheer anger. He jumps up to stand on the floor and stomp his foot on the floor.

"Ugh I hate you!"

"I am not that easy, you know", the cop exclaims while sitting upright and taking a hold of the other's hands gently. Although Sehun is not intending to keep them gently, he slaps them away. "We cannot stop practicing here, you need to know more about your power. You need to find your potential."

"Don't you sound like a fucking weird ninja sensei."

Luhan sighs deeply and massages his nose bridge with his two fingers, "Weird sensei or not, what I want is for you to learn how to use your power. Imagine a hurricane. You can do it. You are strong. But... Don't do it."

The younger rolls his eyes and wraps arms on his chest before sitting down on the couch next to his boyfriend. He swings his legs in the air cutely while pouting, this practicing is really getting to him. He hates it so much, even if he knows that it needs to be done. Luhan however, is just pushing him to go forward. Sehun only wants to cuddle, to the point where they both find it annoying. Sehun hates it because he must be a really big baby behind his cold look and cry to the person who takes care of him.

"Just please, at least try. Try to move that remote control with the wind."

He looks at it, but doesn't do anything about it. Luhan takes a hold of it with some invisible force, the power of telekinesis and drops it on Sehun's lap. The younger stares at it. It's kind of scary to think that Luhan doesn't even have to see that when he moves it. He simply knows where it is and moves it with the force.

Sehun takes it in his hand and throws it on his boyfriend to hit his head. It leaves a loud noise in the air, and mainly Luhan's curses.

"Why the fuck did you throw me with it?!" he curses while rubbing the sore spot on his head and swinging the remote in his other hand. "Why do you have to be so fucking mean?! Didn't we talk about this already?! I said I'll guide you, I said I'll teach you how to use your power! If it was for me to decide, we would be just cuddling and making out right now!"

"Then let's cuddle!"

"We can't! Not before you do this. I know you can do it, Sehun, I know your power and I can feel it's strong!"

"But I can't!" Sehun stomps his feet on the ground again. "What I feel is only weakness..."

Luhan sighs when looking at his boyfriend with a little softer look than just a moment ago.

"I'm sorry. Please, I know it's not easy at first. I had to train my power to be like it is now, or otherwise I could be hearing what everyone are thinking and that would drive me crazy. I would hear even our neighbors' thoughts... I guess you never had anything like that, right?" The younger stares at the ground and shakes his head. He had no idea Luhan could actually be hurt badly if he didn't train his power. "Yeah... It makes sense..."

"...I just can't do it. I don't know nor understand what the fuck is it that you're feeling, but I am weak. I can't even do this one simple thing you're asking me to do."

"That's because you're not focused. All you think about is how much it hurts and how you want to be sewn back together. All you think is how weak you are. You don't believe me. You don't believe in your strength, and that's the only thing you're focusing on. Don't give up so easily. Don't focus on how strong or weak you are, focus on the matter in your hands."

"...What's the matter in my hands? TV's remote control?"

"Well, at the moment, yes. But I have a feeling that you could lift up things much bigger than yourself, maybe even this house."

"How could that even be possible?" Sehun blinks a few times in confusion while listening to his sensei with amusement. Luhan sits back on the couch.

"You control wind. Imagine a storm. Hurricane. Destruction. People hiding in their basements just to get away from you. But you tear their families, rip their houses from the ground and leave nothing but mess, sorrow and death."

"...That... That sounds horrible..." The younger looks down at his knees and frowns a bit. He could not even imagine all the pain he would cause by making something like that. Although, it finally makes some sense. Wind is his power, he's known that for most of his life. He was even wise enough as a child to keep it away from his mother so she wouldn't be involved with anything like this. He thought that maybe if he lived like he was normal, the power would leave too.

He wished.

Unfortunately, there was no knight kneeling before him and saying, 'Your wish is my command.'

"Exactly. That's why we make sure you don't do it, not even by an accident. If we master your power, you can control it. Imagine like singing. If your throat is sore, your voice cracks a lot. If you've opened your voice, it's much easier to keep it clear and balanced."

Sehun purses his lips together. He keeps staring at the ground before shooting his gaze at his boyfriend who blinks a few times innocently.

"Then... Can we cuddle after I do it?"

"Yes, Sehun, we will cuddle anywhere you want after you do it. Focus on the remote control, not the cuddling!"

He utters a laughter. But now he needs to focus on the object. Luhan uses his power to take it back to the table. This power could actually make both of them really, really lazy. They could make a sandwich while sitting before the TV!

Of course, Luhan can't use his power in work. That would make him vulnerable and people probably thought he was possessed by a demon or something.

Sehun looks at the object he's supposed to move. He also moves his hands before him and tries to focus on it, but just the warm feeling of cuddling with his boyfriend is distracting him. Also the really judging and observing stare.

"...Can you look the other way?" he sighs. Luhan raises an eyebrow for his plea.

"What? Why? It's not like you were peeing or changing underwear or something."

"But I still feel kind of exposed."

The older sighs in defeat when throwing his leg over the other to look in the other direction, "Fine."

Sehun smiles a bit to himself and now really focuses on moving the remote, without Luhan's judging eyes on him. He bites his lips while focusing on the task.

It's almost there.

It's almost floating.

Almost.

When it moves from its place one centimeter, Sehun beams from joy and throws his arms in the air, but that's when it raises in the air too and finds its way to hit Luhan's head.

The angry boyfriend turns to his loved one, eyebrows furrowed and a cute pout on his lips while Sehun's lips and eyes are round from the pure shock and amazement. His poor head is only repeating one question: Did I do that?

"Ugh! What's wrong with you?!" Luhan curses when taking the remote control and waving it in the air like a madman. Sehun claps a few times in joy, making his boyfriend even more pissed off. You could almost see smoke coming from his ears as his face reddened.

"Luhan! I did it! It moved!"

"Well, yeah! And hit my head!" the older replies sarcastically. Sehun throws his legs on the couch and slaps his hands together before his eyes.

"No, I mean, it really moved by wind!" When opening his arms again wide open, he throws the whole sofa table on its back.

They look at it mesmerized.

Although, Sehun starts clapping his hands from excitement.

While Luhan's jaw is dropped to the ground.

"I did it, Luhan, I did it!"

The older is still staring at the sofa table in horror. That thing is actually heavy. A lot heavier than the remote.

"Now cuddle me!" Sehun whines when almost jumping on his boyfriend, but the older backs away and covers his body. The other whines desperately when bouncing on Luhan's knees that are pressed to his chest.

"No! Don't touch me!"

"You promised!"

Luhan gently reaches out for his hands and interlaces their fingers slowly. And slowly he moves his legs under the other's so Sehun can straddle his lap.

"Please. Do not move your hands. I don't want to end up in a hospital or something."

To this, Sehun starts laughing loudly.

"You're afraid of me! You're afraid that I blow something upside down if I move my hands!"

"Well yeah! That sofa table is much bigger than the remote!" The younger smiles widely while looking down at his boyfriend who's looking at him with big shocked eyes. Slowly Luhan pulls him down to keep him against his chest.

"We'll have to train your power, or else I will be this scared every day." Sehun snuggles up against his chest while smiling sweetly.

"It's alright. You're the best teacher I could ever have."

"Yeah cause this teacher can give you cuddles and kisses after every practice." He draws circles on the younger's back calmly, to actually calm himself down. Sehun is not that scary. He was just a little bit... Excited. That's all.

***

Sehun is standing in the kitchen before the coffee maker while only wearing underwear and Luhan's white tank top. He's making coffee for the one who's sleeping in. Luhan usually never sleeps this long, even if it's a day off. It's already ten in the morning and he's still snoring in Sehun's bed. That's pretty much where they always are. If they're not on the couch, that is. Luhan sleeps there more often than in his own bed. They miss each other if they have to sleep in different beds.

Sehun hums a song while stepping around the kitchen after making the coffee, taking things from the fridge to make himself and Luhan a little something for breakfast. Today the older has a day off, and every day off is spent casually with Sehun. Sometimes he might get a call from the captain and he has to be there in a minute, not even having to dress up in his work attire.

He takes out bread and butter and everything to put on it, and takes out the rice boiler to make himself a little something. At the meantime, he can also clean up the kitchen a little bit while cats are purring on his feet, hoping to get some ham from him.

Luhan stumbles to the kitchen like a zombie, almost drooling when he's just so tired and worn out. Sehun almost jumps up when he sees him standing at the doorway, his brown hair sticking everywhere and eyes red.

"A-are you alright, honey? You look like walking dead."

"I am walking dead", Luhan replies with a sigh. The younger walks to him to pinch his cheeks, and the small stubble under his nose.

"Please do something about your little mustache." Luhan waves his hands in front of his boyfriend to shoo him away.

"I'll head to the shower immediately to take care of it."

"You could also stay in bed a little longer. Are you feeling dizzy?"

"No no no, it's alright." He hardly even opens his eyes. Sehun quickly gives him a morning hug.

"Okay, but don't die while showering." Luhan waves his hand as if saying it's nothing. He drags his feet on the floor while making his way to the bathroom. Sehun looks after him, sighs and shakes his head. How come Luhan is so stubborn.

Turns out he can't even go back to the coffee maker when he hears a thud from the living room. He quickly runs in there to see what's the matter, only to find Luhan laying on the floor on his side.

"Luhan!" He runs to him quickly. He turns him on his back only to hear some mumbling. The older tries to get back on his feet, but ends up falling down before even getting up to sit. He's sweating cold sweat and shivering.

Sehun places a hand on his forehead to try his temperature. "Don't you 'it's alright' to me, you have a fever! Your forehead is burning!"

Luhan again shakes his head, but he can't even breathe properly. He looks up at his boyfriend with half lidded eyes. Sehun drapes a hand around him to help him stand up and lead him on the sofa. The older falls on it heavily and almost drops Sehun on himself, but the younger forcefully moves his hands away - he's weak at the moment to keep the younger in his arms.

Sehun places him softly on the couch.

"Okay, just lay there, I'll get you the thermometer and some coffee, okay? I'll be right back." He places a soft kiss on Luhan's forehead before hurrying back to the kitchen to get him some coffee.

Actually this also taking care of that someone who takes care of him, is making him feel a little better about himself. It's also kind of creepy that he's smiling to himself to the thought of Luhan being sick and all needy for his attention like a baby. Maybe later on, the older will show him a side of him he never shows to anyone. His vulnerability, his darkest secrets... Like the painful memories of his sister who was murdered cold-bloodedly.

He takes the coffee mug in his hand and takes it to the living room, where Luhan is already laying down on the couch. He chuckles to himself cutely before hurrying in his room to get him a blanket. Then he tugs him in tightly, so tightly he can't even move, can't even get his cup of coffee from the table.

The older looks up at his boyfriend who's sitting right next to the couch and just caressing his hair. He blinks a few times in confusion.

"...Are... You... Alright, Sehun...?" he wonders when seeing the other smiling at him cutely.

"Of course I am alright, you're the one who's needed to be taken care of right now!" He pinches the older's cheek while smiling widely. Luhan looks up at the ceiling, sighs and closes his eyes. "...When obeying the law and making the other's do so too, do you ever just stop to think about yourself?"

"...Please don't. Myself is the only person I am thinking about."

"Besides me."

"...Sehun... I read people's minds to kiss their asses so they could treat me like a prince. It's easier for me."

"Yeah, but you take care of me without asking me to do anything for you. I know what you want, though. Tao told me you're staring at my ass every time I make coffee."

Luhan's face heats up, not because of the fever, but because of embarrassment. Sehun pokes his cheek with his finger and raise up a bit to look at the older's red face. He utters a laughter when pressing a kiss on his cheek. He's being awfully clingy even though Luhan is dying in this fever.

"Do you have something to confess?"

Luhan shakes his head. Sehun plays with his hair while pressing even more kisses on his cheeks evilly.

"You're just waiting for me to heal so you could eat my ass for breakfast."

The older keeps shaking his head.

"This is using your boyfriend in a vulnerable state."

Sehun utters an evil laughter, "I know you're weak."

"...Did Kris and Tao teach you to talk like that? I won't let you see them anymore." The younger kisses a line down his temple to his chin.

"Oh baby I learned this myself. I thought about it while you were dreaming about it. And now is the perfect time. You've dreamed about me, haven't you? You've seen dreams about me... I've heard you mumble my name in the early morning... You said I was tight."

Luhan raises his hands to shoo away his boyfriend from his face to turn on his side and cover his head.

"Okay, I commit. I have seen dreams about you moaning under me while telling me to make you forget about... him..."

Now Sehun looks at him with real disgust. If he wasn't sick, he would totally slap him real good.

"Tao was right. All men just want the same, don't they?"

"...I'm sorry...! I can't help myself... You're mine, after all..."

Sehun sighs and sits on the edge of the couch to soothe his hair calmly.

"Of course, honey. I just don't want you to lie to me." Luhan slowly looks up at him to see the overly mighty and arrogant look on his face. "Just because you're my boyfriend, I let you dream about my ass. I mean, you're most likely going to see dreams about it all day every day for your fever now."

The older utters a shy laughter.

"But that means, you can't let anyone else dream about it."

And that makes the smile drop from his face.

How many people have dreamed about his booty again? Jeez, even girls dream about it.

Well, that's a bad thing for Luhan. He can't stop all the crimes that are happening in Seoul, and he sure can't stop people from dreaming about his picture perfect boyfriend.


	19. Spider

"One of the patients kept saying your name, he insisted to see you", a lady in white clothes says, holding some papers in her hand while leading the officer down the hallway. Luhan nods a few times while keeping his hands behind his back and listening to her intently. "He said that officer Lu wants to see him."

"Yes, he must have told you that I said that to him when we first met over a month ago. Is he alright?"

"Mister Lu", she sighs as she places her hand on the doors' handle. She looks up at him in the eyes, Luhan can see she's really serious about this matter. "None of the patients here are _okay_. They are healing."

The cop glances at the ground and frowns, "Then how's his recovery?"

"He's improving, I'd say, he's actually healed pretty well. But one thing he cannot stand yet, and that is any physical contact."

"Yeah, I figured that much", he nods a few times when she offers him a gentle smile before finally turning the handle. It leaves a small click in the air. The nurse takes a step back.

"Don't overwhelm him. He's been through a lot, like our psychiatrist must have told you."

Luhan nods a little. Finally, she closes the door to leave the two men in the room.

The cop looks at the person laying in bed, attached to hoses. He's laying under a blanket and there's a hose in his arm, dripping his vein. His eyes are red and wide open. He doesn't even blink.

That is a little bit creepy honestly. Luhan awkwardly massages the nape of his neck while walking towards the bed. This room is actually quite cozy. There's even some books on the nightstand and some medicines. There's a table and before it two chairs.

Silence has taken over the situation, the only thing Luhan can hear is the tinnitus in his ears. He takes the other chair from before the table and pulls it right next to the bed, trying to ignore the wide open eyes staring at his every move.

"...Hi... How's it been here?" Luhan asks to start the conversation. Kai doesn't reply right away, just tries to come up with something to say. But before that, he needs to look behind himself and check if the hoses are up in his arm the right way. The cop feels bad for him, furrowing his eyebrows and just wondering what would it be like to be in Kai's shoes.

"...Good... I guess... Better than being sold... to some people..."

"...Kai, was it your name?"

"That's what everyone calls me."

"You remember me, right, Kai?"

"Only the thing you told me to say. Officer Lu wants to see me. I take it that's you." The cop nods a few times. He could count with fingers in one hand how many times Kai has blinked. It's creeping him out, but he's seen worse. He's heard from worse.

Seeing his sister murdered was the worst. It makes him feel cold, but not uneasy.

"I am officer Lu Han from Seoul police department. The security camera of this room is turned off, so I can say right here and now that to you, I am also one of the forces. I have the ability of telekinesis. Do you know anything about your powers?"

Kai glances behind himself again, but also up at the ceiling and every little corner of the room.

"Is there someone in the bathroom? Under the bed? In the closet?" he keeps asking these little things. Luhan narrows his eyes. "Can you please check it out?"

The cop ends up sighing. Guess he has to.

He gets up from his seat to crouch under the bed. There is absolutely no one. In the closet are only his clothes, and in the bathroom is nothing but a hairbrush, a comb, some shampoo and body washes. 

He sits back on the chair to state to the worried one, "There is nothing in there. Not under the bed, not in the bathroom, not in the closet. We are the only ones in here."

"Never be so sure", Kai shakes his head. "They can be anywhere."

"...Kai... What is your power?"

"...Teleportation..."

"Do you know how to use it?"

"No... Daddy told me to never use it, cause I could move just the half of my body somewhere if I was careless."

Luhan narrows his eyes and bites his lip. He couldn't even imagine something like that, but now that he said it, it does make sense why his father was worried about him.

But, as Luhan once told Sehun, if the power is not used and it will be forgotten, it could divide into its own person.

"...I can help you with that, trust me. I have to, in fact. This father of yours, where is he now?"

"...Heaven..."

"What happened to him? When?"

"I was fourteen when he was attacked and murdered. It's been... seven years..."

"What about the rest of your family? How are they doing?"

"...Mom was attacked and murdered that day too. My younger big sister was kidnapped, I never knew what happened to her. My older big sister however, took me in her home and took care of me. The biggest secret of our family was always me. I had to live in the basement, only she and her husband knew I was there. I wasn't allowed to talk to strangers. I was protected at all costs."

Now Luhan's eyes have softened. He looks at the ground in thought. Kai must have had really hard times.

"...Were you treated like an object...?"

"Like a vase."

"What pushed you into this state?"

"...Even if my sister and her husband took really good care of me and they got children I fell in love with, I still wanted to be free. I hadn't stepped outside the house in four years, and then I just left... She begged me not to go, since the world was not the place for me, but I... I wanted to see it... So I left when she was working, the kids in kindergarten and her husband sleeping. She was mad at me, but I kept going out. I met people, I made friends, I lost friends, I lost my virginity, I had a boyfriend, and before I noticed, were the drugs handed to me. My boyfriend was an addict and when he was high, he forced me to get high too. I should've left him before that..."

Luhan nods a few times, understanding the pain the other must have felt. It's weird that their paths have been so different.

"I appreciate you told me all that. You're really strong."

"...Not strong. Weak, and in need of some comfort."

"I..." Luhan now massages the back of his neck awkwardly again. "...I actually live with a man, who... happens to be a part of the forces, and my boyfriend to be exact. I wish you two could meet as soon as possible, you would make great friends."

Kai utters a genuine smile, "Thank you for your help, Luhan. I wish to meet him soon."

The cop smiles a bit at him.

"I'm here only to help. Tell me, has your sister been filled up with the details about this?"

"...I guess so... She came here with her whole family and held me closely for an hour straight and crying. I guess I'm just going back to her house when the treatment is over."

"Your family knew about your powers. Did they know about the other forces too?"

"...They did... She knows..." Luhan could imagine the little Kai whining to his father about these weird powers he had when he was a child.

"Do you know anything about The Twelve Forces?"

"...No... Nothing... Except a person... A person who will help us... A person with psychic powers only meant to see the scripts of our lives and the evil."

"...What?" This information is totally new to Luhan, and he's not quite sure what on earth is Kai talking about. A helper of the forces?

"...She's a teenage girl who can see us... She can sense us... She knows us... She might be anywhere right now..."

"...Are you saying that us, The Twelve Forces, have a psychic little girl on our side?"

Kai nods his head decisively.

"...Thank you, Kai. I will write that down in my report. And also the destiny of your parents. I am really sorry for everything that you've had to go through. It must have been hard."

"Don't be sorry for what couldn't be changed. It all needed to happen."

"It doesn't mean I couldn't be sad for what needed to happen."

"I know, but... I try not to think about it..." Luhan purses his lips together and looks down at the ground, even if he knows Kai will be staring at him with those scary eyes. His head is a place Luhan doesn't want to see into.

"I've only got one last question from you. What's your whole name and year of birth?"

"Kim Jongin. 1994."

"See, you're even the same age as my boyfriend."

Kai smiles at him genuinely as he gets up from the chair and bows at the patient.

"I look forward seeing you more often. Thank you for your time and your cooperation. Please take care and stay healthy, take care of yourself. And", Luhan digs a pen and a notepad from his pocket and writes down some numbers. Then, hands it to Kai, "This is my number. If there are any conflicts with your sister or you just want to talk, if you have something to ask about the forces or you want some company, just call me. I might be at the station, and most likely I will be, but my boyfriend is staying in the house for most of the time."

"Thank you, Luhan. I appreciate your help, really."

"It was nice talking to you. I hope the next time we talk it could be under some nicer circumstances."

"I hope so too... Bye, Luhan. Tell the nurse to come back here to keep the closet out of monsters."

The cop nods and smiles a little bit, like talking to a little kid afraid of the boogeyman, "See you, Kai."

What would now be needed is...

...A cup of coffee.

***

Luhan closes the front door of his home. Weird that Sehun isn't at the door giving him a kiss like he's done every time he's come from work ever since they started dating. It feels kind of natural now to have cuddles with Sehun always after work.

"Honey I'm home!" the cop yells from the door as he leaves his shoes there.

"Hi sweetie I'm on the couch half naked." That voice sure wasn't Sehun's, and it creeps Luhan out. Mostly because that person is so dead.

"Tao! I will fucking strangle you!" he yells when he stomps to the couch and his face heats up. Tao on the couch, totally dressed unlike he claimed, sucks on a lollipop and leans on his arms. A sly smirk is plastered on his face. "You dickhead told Sehun that I was staring at his ass while you were the one doing the inappropriate things with your fingers!"

Tao rolls his eyes and takes the lollipop out of his mouth.

"Relax, _sweetie_ , I was just having some fun by bringing in some drama. Besides, you cannot strangle me, you're the cop here."

"Huh, you think? Ask Sehun what I did to his kidnapper."

"...What kidnapper...?"

Oh, now Luhan slipped. He gulps and his eyes widen when he realizes what he just said. Why the fuck did she slip it?

"...Uh... Where is he anyways? Sehun!" The cop now leaves the other Chinese alone to search through the house. He doesn't get a meter away from the couch when hearing screaming from the bedroom. Why does he always think about the worst first? "Sehun!"

Like Prince Charming he hurries to rescue his Princess, he kicks the door open to find Sehun jumping up on Kris and the other shivering when slowly backing off to the door.

Sehun, thoroughly disgusted, jumps to the door where his Prince stands. He hides behind his back, tears in his eyes while the other Chinese also speeding out of the room.

Now Luhan is a little bit lost.

"What the fuck is happening?" he asks from the two who are hiding behind his back.

"Th-th-there's a s-spider", Sehun trembles. Luhan turns to look at the two behind him stupidly. Tao is now also curious as he walks to the door to see what's happening.

"You can't be afraid of a small spider. I mean, it's just a spider", the cop sighs. Sehun and Kris shake their heads in terror.

"Agh, just a spider, let's grab a leaflet and kill it", Tao butts in. He's already grabbing a leaflet that was left on the sofa table and makes his way behind the bed. Kris grabs his hand as if telling him to stop. If it was too much for him, it'll be too much for Tao. But the other won't let him stop him and he walks to see the spider in the corner of the room.

Only to scream loudly and run back to Luhan. And like the other two, he hides behind the cop too.

"That's not a fucking spider! It's a goddamn demon!"

"You got to be kidding me", Luhan sighs. He decides to take a look at what this spider looks like, but the sneaky little bastard is one step ahead of Luhan. It walks nearer to him, and before he's even at the bed end, he lets out a horrible scream.

The spider stares at them deep into their souls.

"Evacuate the house!" Luhan screams when running to the living room, the three running right behind him. But he stops suddenly to take a real good look at the spider. "Wait. That's just a spider. We are four grown up men!"

"That spider is the size of my fist!" Tao cries. "What is it doing in the city?!"

"It's charging towards us!" Kris suddenly screams when the spider is running at them at its full effort and the four scream in terror.

"To the kitchen! Everybody on the table!" Luhan commands and Sehun is the first one to run there, dropping everything on the floor. They do fit on it quite nicely actually.

Well, you can't always win. Sometimes the dragon is a little bit too big for the prince to defeat it.

They breathe in deeply in terror. But then suddenly, the cop reminds something.

"Where are my cats?!"

"I think it ate them!" Tao makes the situation worse for Luhan who's now yelling at him with a real high pitched voice.

"My cats!"

But then, Mister Cat comes to rescue. Or, maybe not to rescue, just lift his ass up and look at the spider standing in the kitchen with big eyes. He moves his tail in anticipation.

"No... Mister Cat, don't do it..." Luhan warns, but his son isn't going to listen to him now.

But then the cat just jumps on the spider who charges to the other end of the room, leaving the four men screaming like teenage girls.

"Mister, these kinds of friends are not good company to you!" the cop exclaims. Just then an idea pops into his mind. "Tao, you can stop time, right?"

"Yes, I can!"

"You can move while the others can't. Can you make the others stop besides me and you?"

"If you hold me by the hand, then yes, I can do that!" Tao is still looking down at the ground in horror. Luhan then takes a firm hold of his hand.

"Tao, stop the time now!" he commands. Tao closes his eyes for a moment only and snap his fingers, to make everything stop moving except him and Luhan. The older looks at everything around him and sighs in relief. "Goodness... Thank you. Now, please don't be near when I take that filthy little thing outside."

"What?!" Tao shocks to hear what he said as they both jump down from the table. "Are you crazy?!"

"I can move it from here, you see, I can move things from afar!"

Tao looks at him weirdly, but decides to take a step back. Luhan then backs off to the doorway to take hold of the spider with the invisible force. He drags it on the ground because just seeing that makes chills run down his spine.

He backs off slowly, and slowly opens the door, to throw the disgusting thing far away from the house to the other side of the street.

A sigh of relief leaves his lips as he looks at what he achieved. That turned out much easier than he thought.

He walks back to kitchen with wobbly legs. That was a real challenge and every single one of them was really scared for that huge thing. Tao looks at him with admiring eyes.

Just another single snap of his fingers and the time is rolling again. Sehun and Kris look around them, looking for the spider. Everything happened to them in a flash of a second.

"I-is it gone?" Sehun shivers. Tao and Luhan both nod and their boyfriends get off of the table.

Mister Cat doesn't like this game, though. He was just starting to have fun with his new friend Luhan didn't approve.

Sehun runs to hug Luhan tightly, and Kris does the same to Tao.

"My hero!" Kris squeals while hugging Tao tightly, the other just laughing at him. Luhan glares at him, look at him now being all cool about it, just to show off to his boyfriend.

Although he himself doesn't mind the kisses Sehun can't stop leaving on his cheek.


	20. Bullet

_"Is Oh Sehun on the phone?"_ The voice asks from the phone Sehun has on his ear. He was standing in the kitchen, casually just eating when noticing someone calling him, the loud ringtone jolting him awake.

Sehun takes a deep breath, he doesn't know who is calling and doesn't know whether or not to trust the caller. He gulps loudly.

"Y-yes. I am Oh Sehun."

_"This is Choi Sean, from Seoul police department. I am Luhan's captain, calling from the hospital"_ , at this point he takes a pause, which only makes Sehun gasp and tense up. Calling from the hospital means something has happened to Luhan, for sure. _"There was a robbery, and the men had guns. Luhan did his job calmly, trying to make the other man calm down, but the latter was trigger-happy. Luhan got shot."_

Sehun's eyes almost immediately start to water by hearing all that. He covers his mouth to let out a broken sob.

"...Wh-what...? I-is he alright...?" He hears a deep sigh from the captain.

_"Yes. The bullet almost hit his lung, but he's lucky that it missed. He's conscious, and he wants to see you. Please come to the hospital immediately."_

"...I'll come as quickly as I can."

Sehun ends the call by simply thanking him. When the phone's locked, he drops it on the table. Slapping his hand on his mouth to prevent the sobs, he runs to change clothes, to then call the taxi that could take him to the hospital.

***

The captain sits in the room with Luhan, on a chair right next to the door. The latter is laying in the white hospital bed, shirtless, bandages wrapped around his torso. A huge blood stain is on the left side of his chest, his body in bruises. Small wounds here and there.

Luhan is looking at Sean with half-lidded eyes, hazy. He must be heavily drugged. The captain just takes a better position in the chair and looks at his cop with sad eyes.

"There were five of them, right?" Sean suddenly asks. Luhan nods slightly. "Well, one of the bad sides of being a cop. You did well, and I am glad you're alright."

The cop utters a small smile, but it drops as quickly as a question pops into his mind. "Then what about Ahn? Is he alright?"

"He's hanging in there, with a lot more hoses and nurses. His partner's with him. I came here with you, cause you know, you're my favorite."

"It's nice to know you're spoiling me."

"I even called your boyfriend here, so you could say I am. I am not even banning you to date with him. I figured you would much rather lose this job than him, thinking of how you turned down FBI. You must really be serious." Luhan utters a smile again, but this time it lasts. If Sehun wasn't part of the forces, this wouldn't be that serious and maybe Luhan would have got that place in the FBI. But if it wasn't about the forces, he probably wouldn't have telekinesis, his sister wouldn't have been murdered, he wouldn't even know his sister. He would be living in Beijing with his real parents.

Sean has always took care of him. When he first had this job, and even now, that he is known throughout every police department through the country. He is the captain's favorite because of his enthusiasm and skills.

"I am serious. How long ago did you call him?"

"Not very long. He should be here soon, so don't worry. I don't think he would just stay home when knowing you are in the hospital. I am pretty sure he even started crying on the phone."

"Oh no", the cop pinches the bridge of his nose and looks up at the ceiling. "If I see him crying, I will most likely cry too."

"That would not be the first time I see you crying."

"Just imagining him coming here with tears in his eyes makes me emotional."

"That's love."

Wow. That really is love, and Luhan realizes it now.

He closes his eyes to calm himself down. Just now thinking about crying Sehun is not doing any good for him.

"I hate myself every time I make him feel bad, sad, angry, uncomfortable... And when I'm holding him when knowing that it's me who made him feel that bad... It just brings me on the edge. On that moment, if I could take one person out from this world... It would be me..."

Luhan thinks back to all those times he's made his boyfriend cry just by his words. They have not been anything serious, no, it was just Sehun's over sensitive nature. He gets it. He's sensitive. But he still makes him feel bad, and it kills him.

Sean looks at him with furrowed eyebrows, observing him. One of the first things he noticed about Luhan was his responsible nature. He knows this man would never hurt his boyfriend. Even if they both know what happened to him, Sehun is willing to come. Even if this man saw everything, and how much they care for each other.

"But every time I manage to bring a smile on his lips, or even make him laugh... I feel like I've accomplished something big. I feel like he needs me. If I can't go back to him, I want him to come to me."

Just then the door opens. Sean stands up from his seat immediately to see who is there behind the door, but the one coming in doesn't even see him.

He's seeing his world through pink sunglasses that block everything except the love of his life... Who now happens to lie in the bottom of the bed, looking miserable when thinking about his boyfriend not being here.

Sehun runs right next to Luhan. The latter looks up at him with big sad eyes when seeing Sehun's puffy cheeks, red eyes and the tears running down his cheeks. Sehun's tear drops on Luhan's cheeks as he raises the latter's head to look at him. The older gets up a little, feeling pain but it's pointless, when he can seal their lips in a gentle kiss. The kind of kiss that tells a person instantly that they love them.

Sehun caresses Luhan's cheeks gently while the other softly takes a hold of his hand. Slowly he interlaces their fingers together.

"...A-are you okay?" the younger sniffles. Luhan nods reluctantly, before wrapping arms around the other one's thin waist.

"...I'm always okay when you're with me." Sehun sobs but still places a kiss on his forehead.

"...I came here as quickly as I could... I love you..."

"...I love you too."

"You two act like a married couple", Sean points out when walking to the end of the bed, making Sehun jump. He did not notice the captain being in the room at all. "...I hope that some day you can be a married couple."

Sehun blinks a few times before looking down from him, back to his boyfriend who's snuggling against him. He doesn't care about the pain, not about the world, not about the captain or the words he said. There is nothing but Sehun when he's hurt and here to make him feel better.

"It would hurt my heart to tell you two to break up. But Sehun, it's nice to see you again after four months."

"...It's... Nice to see you again, too..."

"I hope you understand what kind of dangers are involved in Luhan's job. I will leave you two alone for now. I'll check on you tomorrow, Lu." The captain takes his leave, knowing that the two lovers don't need him standing there to be the third wheel.

Sehun hugs him tighter and can't stop giving small kisses on his head. Luhan grabs his shirt and snuggles against his chest. It's warm there. Sehun is wearing lot of clothes while the other laying in bed is half-naked.

"...I was scared..." the cop confesses when grabbing his shirt tighter. Sehun looks at him with sorrow in his eyes, few teardrops landing on his hair. "...I wasn't afraid for my life. When the bullet hit me, I didn't think it was over... All I could think about was, why aren't you here? I know you couldn't be... But all I thought about was your warm touches."

Sehun sobs against his head a few times more.

"I-I came here as fast as I could-"

"I know. And I love you for it."

Suddenly Luhan drops his head a little bit, looking down at the ground. He lets out a groan of pain as his fingers dig in Sehun's clothes tighter.

"...L-Luhan...? Honey...? Are you alright...?" The older keeps in the noises of pain, but his chest raises and falls quickly as he breathes in deeply. Sehun tries to hold him up, but he's weak.

He raises the older to lay in bed properly when he sits on the edge of it. Gently he takes a hold of the other's head to make him look at him. Luhan desperately claws his chest, begging him to help him.

"What's happening? Are you hurt? Where?"

Luhan's eyes are shut tightly, but he tries to open them. Tears are running down his cheeks. It must really hurt.

"...The... Noises..." Sehun tries to dry his tears, but he's panicking, he has no idea what is happening! What's happening to his boyfriend?

"Luhan please tell me, what's the matter?"

"...The noises... In my head... Their thoughts... Everyone's thoughts... In this building..." The younger doesn't first get it but then it hits him. Luhan has mastered his power so he could stop hearing everyone's thoughts.

He takes a hold of his head and raises it slightly, so their eyes are on the same level. Luhan withers in pain, but is persistent to keep his noises in. His head hurts like hell.

"Please, honey, look at me. Just look at me. Focus on my voice... My thoughts", he pleads and keeps looking at the other's eyes alternatively. Luhan tries to open his eyes but it's hard, it hurts so much. "Please, Luhan. Listen to me."

His body shivers, but Sehun tries to stay calm. For the other to calm down, the other needs to be so too.

The older and at this state more vulnerable, looks up at the younger who's holding his head. Even if he sobs, Sehun stays calm. He even tries to crack a smile. He thinks about calming thoughts, like about Mister and Miss Cat who are now home alone cuddling together on the couch.

He tries real hard, and slowly, the other noises go away. He only focuses on the person in front of him, and when he hears his thoughts about their cats, he feels a little bit calmer.

Sehun smiles a little bit while caressing his hair gently.

"Try", he whispers. "Just try for me."

Luhan traps him in his arms when hugging him tightly. He sighs now in comfort while Sehun drawing soothing circles on his back.

"...Please... Don't stay alone in the house... Call Kai there with you..." the older says faintly, worn out from this seizure. He has these kinds of things sometimes, but usually they last longer than that. This time he had Sehun with him, so everything went a little bit better.

55 minutes better.

"I will call Kai. He can sleep on the couch, right?"

"I don't care where you sleep but please", he gently raises his head a little bit to look at the other in the eyes. "Stay in the same room."

"...Oh... O-okay..."

***

Sehun leaves the keys on the kitchen table. He can't stop crying even if he left the hospital after being there for several hours with Luhan. He hasn't slept without him in ages, and now not having him there feels cold. The house is too empty without him.

It's a good thing it's only temporary. He would rather die than live without Luhan at this point. His life would be really depressing without him.

The three simple words roll around his mind as he falls on the chair and runs a hand through his bangs.

_I love you._

Why did he even say something like that? Like a married couple indeed. Like that man's husband, he just came to him, hugged him, kissed his head and said those words. He takes his phone from the pocket of his jacket.

One thing both of them know for sure.

Okay, two things.

One, Sehun doesn't want to be alone. Luhan knows it, and if the younger sees a nightmare or gets an anxiety attack, he needs someone to help him rather than cry on the floor for hours, waiting for it to turn better. He does need someone around him.

There is a name in his contact numbers, and he calls it instantly. When he and Kai first met two weeks ago, their chemistry was perfect. They had a mutual understanding. Just then Sehun wanted to tell him everything, even those things that happened to him that he could never tell to Tao or Kris. Those things Luhan was aware of from the first moment.

Luhan knows almost everything about him. Sehun knows almost everything about Luhan. But he never really got the hang of the little sister. Maybe she simply was just a dear family member to Luhan. Or was she something more? Maybe, a way of earning his new parents' respect. It was his duty to protect her.

But he failed.

Second thing, Tao and Kris are not good company to him. Of course they could be friends and all that, even family, but Kai... He is on the same wavelength. Luhan however, would not trust those two even if he had to. A prostitute-gigolo and a gang leader. There needs to be some lines.

_"Hi, Sehun."_ A faint reply from the phone answers.

"Hello, Kai... Luhan... He's... He's in the hospital..."

_"Oh my God is he alright? Are you alright?"_

"...Yeah... But... I don't want to be alone... He wanted me to call you... And ask if you could stay here for as long as needed to be..."

_"Of course I'll be there! Let me just tell noona that I'm coming and she can drop me to your place."_

"Great! I'll see you then!"

***

This was Luhan's idea. He did not have a clue what would those two do together.

Of course, at first Sehun opened the door for him and welcomed him, but he did not know that the other would rush to hug him and apologize from what happened to Luhan. At first Sehun was okay, but when Kai pulled away and looked at him with sad eyes and questioned a bit more, the slightly younger couldn't keep in his tears. He is just too worried over his boyfriend laying in the hospital bed all alone.

But how did it come to this, that Sehun has thrown away his shirt and Kai spreading some oil on his skin? The other just took the bottle from his sister's home, thinking that maybe it would make Sehun a bit more relaxed to open up his thoughts for the other.

And to think, that Sehun has been living with Luhan over four months, and the other has seen him shirtless only once. This guy he's known for two weeks, is now touching his bare back.

Kai rubs the lotion on the younger's back while they're just sitting in the living room, Sehun hanging his head low. This is a little bit embarrassing for him, and he even forgot about his scars on his back that Kai can touch all he wants. Burnt marks from cigarettes, some scars that have seized on his skin as time passed.

It's almost night.

"How's it going with Luhan? How long have you been together?"

"...Just... A bit over two months..."

"Wow, I really thought you two were like married or something. You seem really close."

"...Close or not, he has seen me shirtless just once, and you're the first one I've even shown my bare back."

"Oh, he might not like that", Kai utters a laughter. Every once in a while, he has to look around himself to feel safe. There are certain reasons why these two have a mutual understanding - they've both gone through hell, just in different circumstances. "The first time I saw him... Wait, I don't remember that time. I was in drugs. Well, the first time I remember seeing him, my first thought was that, wow, he's hot."

Sehun chuckles at his comment. His boyfriend really is hot.

"He's very responsible. Did he ever tell you that when he visited me, he told me about you?"

Sehun shakes his head. Kai massages him from his lower back now, that's were it hurts Sehun the most. He just closes his eyes and lets the other do what he wants to, even if brushing over those scars is painful.

"I want to have a boyfriend too... I am a bit of a hopeless romantic, you know? I want a boyfriend who can take care of me and make me feel safe and wanted and... Not treat me like a literal vase. I don't want that."

"...How do people treat you like a vase?"

"Well, they either do that real gently meaning locking me in the cellar and letting me gain dust, or real carelessly, like my last boyfriend who got me into drugs. He forced me to." Sehun looks at the floor sadly. "He shattered me."

"...I'm sorry..."

"Don't be sorry. Just worry about yourself for now, okay? Not about me." Kai presses the scars on his back slightly. "Have you and Luhan done it?"

Sehun almost chokes on air and Kai has to stop for a moment.

"Yes?"

"No! God no."

"Why not? Come on, he seems like he really loves you. Let yourself go a little bit. Have you at least thought about it? Like, ever?"

Sehun takes a moment to breathe. This conversation is not going where he wants it to.

"At least tell me he has made you hard while you were making out."

"What? No!"

"...Never? Wow, he must be really disappointed at himself."

Sehun's face is totally red. He does not know how to get out of this topic. He does like to talk about Luhan, but no one can ever hear about his dream where Luhan was at the gym, shirtless, lifting weights while he was straddling the older one's lap and just looking at him as his sweat dripped from his forehead.

Well, that was hot, but Sehun tries to forget about it. Even that dream was too much of a turn on for him. He woke up with a huge tent, but before Luhan could wake up, he went to take a cold shower and let his dirty thoughts slide in the drain.

That might not have sounded like a wet dream or dirty thoughts, more of just Luhan lifting weights and being all manly and such, but to Sehun it was really something. He had to sit under the shower for 30 minutes and wait for himself to calm down.

"Can we change the subject?" the younger asks in an annoyed tone. Kai utters a laughter and nods his head slightly.

"Okay, if you don't want to tell me about it, you don't have to. I just always get real curious when I meet a nice couple who love each other, since I've never experienced that." 

"I hope you do get to experience that."

If there's a thing Sehun hates to talk about, it has something to do with sex. He can't talk about it. He can't even dream about Luhan.

He can't lie to himself forever. Someday, he'll be brave enough to let Luhan see him.


	21. Pray

Sehun hasn't visited the church in, maybe a year and a half. He hasn't had time nor anyone who would take him there. He isn't that religious to begin with. With things as fucked up as those turning your life upside down, you don't really feel all that safe anywhere really. Sehun tries to hang in there, but as he has always said to himself, he can try and go to church more often when he's older. Now he's a little too distracted from things like these. Only two things roll in his head, and those are the forces and Luhan.

Sunday morning, the mass is over and Sehun is sitting in the back of the church, silently praying for his boyfriend's recovery. He lays his head against the other bench before him and sighs. It's only small church, since there are a few in the city. He likes this one, just because it's not that big and fancy and not many people visit this church.

This church however has the nicest priest Sehun has ever met, and that nicest priest ever is keeping his faith alive.

The said priest walks slowly from the altar, to the boy who's silently praying in his mind, eyes closed. He hears the footsteps coming closer to him, so he looks up at the man who has wrinkles on his face and a wide smile on his lips. His eyes look sad, as always. He's a very calm person.

"I haven't seen you around in ages", the priest states. Sehun looks down and nods a bit.

"...I... I have been busy... You know... I have been too afraid."

"What has made you feel afraid?" the priest wonders while taking a seat on the bench, right next to the boy who keeps his eyes down. He sniffles a little bit, he knows Father Lee won't judge him because of anything.

"...I..." Sehun's voice shakes as he rolls up the sleeve of his shirt to show all the scars in his left hand. They're deep, and Father Lee has no problem brushing over them, observing them. His eyes look even sadder. "...I was kidnapped, for several months, and... Raped..."

"...Sehun... Son... Every time you have visited me, you have only been to worse and worse. Every time you come to me, you are shattered." The boy lets out a sob. Just telling the priest about what happened to him brings him on the edge.

"...I am filthy..."

"No, son, you're not filthy. People come to me all the time, confessing their sins, but you're telling me about sin that was made to you, not by you. You should not feel filthy because of that."

"...I wanted to kill myself several times in those months..."

"You are strong. You are so strong. I am glad to see you here again. Do you remember the last time you ran to the sacristy and cried on your knees?"

Sehun had totally forgot about that. The only thing he had heard from people around him was that homosexuality is wrong. Even his mother said that. Well, she had to get used to Sehun liking boys. And of course it took her a while to get used to his little baby growing up and even finding his sexuality, but she was okay with it. She supported him. She loved him.

That little boy wasn't very old when he ran to the sacristy and cried to the priest that he had a huge crush on a boy from the basketball team. Father Lee told him to stand up, simply hugged him and told him that he's loved.

That was the first time he had to accept himself as who he was. But still, he has never accepted that he has supernatural powers.

_There are certain lines not to be crossed._

"...I had forgot about that, Father..."

"God doesn't abandon his little sheep lost in the woods alone."

Sehun utters a smile at his words while looking up at him, to find the priest also cracking a smile for him.

"Every time you don't show up in a long time and then do, you have something to tell me. You told me about what happened, is something else bothering you?"

"...I have... A friend... Who lies in hospital right now... He was shot to his chest, and is now recovering... I am here to pray for his recovery..."

Sehun always has that small sparkle in his eye every time he's even thinking about Luhan. Father Lee has seen it before, like way back when Sehun talked about his crushes to him. He always had that little sparkle and a little bit of excitement in his voice.

"...Just a friend...? It seems like you really care about him."

"Well... Y-you know..." It's kind of awkward for Sehun to try to get these things clear for other people. He knows Father Lee doesn't judge him, but he's always afraid of that option. "...The kind of friend you're kind of dating with..."

The boy looks small, trying his best to, but the priest only smiles at him. He knows the other being afraid of judgement.

"I am glad you have found happiness. Is he... A follower of God...?"

"...No, he does not believe in God." The priest nods a few times, understanding the situation. He has met more people than just Sehun having a same gender relationship where the other half is not in faith.

"...How did he got shot?"

Sehun looks back at the ground again, a sad look on his face and a frown on his lips. The priest raises his chin back up, reminding him not to keep his head down.

"...He is a police, so of course he has some dangers in his job..."

"Oh, he is a police officer? That explains." The priest soothes his hand comfortably, knowing that even if it's long since they last met, Sehun has always trusted in him with his whole life. He is one of the nicest people alive, after all.

The boy sighs, closes his eyes and looks back at the floor. The silence does not bother him. Not here.

"...I do know a way of shortening his time in the hospital..." Father Lee suddenly speaks up, earning Sehun's attention immediately. The priest utters a laughter at his enthusiasm. Poor boy must really miss his boyfriend back on his side. "I didn't suggest it in the first place cause many people have some... beliefs about this."

Sehun narrows his eyes. If this is some sort of religious thing, he can say goodbye to that. Luhan would never do anything religious.

"...What are you talking about...?"

"I am talking about a boy who's staying here. There is a room he sleeps in, upstairs. He can heal people. Some say his powers come from God, but some say his powers come from the devil. I, myself, do not really know what to think."

Powers? If he is a member of The Twelve Forces, Sehun might as well check it out. He should, anyways. 

"...How does he help me with anything?"

"...He has a power to heal people. That is why... some of the parishioners do not accept him into our community. I just gave him a place to live."

Healing? Isn't that one of the powers Luhan has said?

"Can you take me to him? Now?"

Father Lee stands up then, Sehun quickly behind him as they walk to the sacristy. There are some things the priest needs, a Bible on the table with a candle. There are also stairs in the back of the room.

As they walk upstairs, the wooden stairs leave squeaks in the air. Sehun does not like them, he's quite sure they could collapse any minute now as they're walking on them. Father Lee has no problem nor fear getting up the stairs, totally ignoring the creepy sounds.

Upstairs is a door, and through the door, they come to a room. There lays a boy in bed, facing the wall, maybe having a nap on this beautiful Sunday morning. The room looks really old, and smells like that too. Sehun doesn't understand how could that person be living here. How does he sleep with all this dust in here without his eyes getting itchy? But if he is a healer, is he healthy, or not?

"Hi, it's Father Lee", the priest says. Sehun walks closer to the bed where the boy lays. His eyes are open, but it's like he didn't even hear Father Lee at all. "My friend and I are here to ask your help."

"...Help?" His faint voice asks, tired. "Am I not a demon anymore?"

"Exorcisms wouldn't work on you, so, you're not a demon", Sehun states when walking nearer and poking the boy with his arm. This boy is totally sleepy, tired, and exhausted about something. What has made him so exhausted that he can't even get up the bed?

"...You wanna try...?"

"Yixing, don't talk like that", Father Lee begs when he walks next to Sehun who's there staring at the one like a dead body. "Sehun is here to ask your help."

"My friend lays in the hospital. I... I would like you to help him get better."

That's when this Yixing raises a bit to turn to the two.

When seeing Sehun, he sits up quickly, his black hair immediately landing on his eyes. Just the way he looks at this boy makes Father Lee aware that there's something going on. Something that he doesn't know about.

"I thought I felt something really powerful in this room when the door opened, but wow. You are really strong, right?" Yixing wonders when he looks at Sehun with big eyes. The latter blinks a few times, wondering how must the other feel. Maybe it's him being one of the main and nature elements that his force is just everywhere.

"...Uhm... Well, I'm getting there."

"Is this how you people hit on each other?" Father Lee asks and shakes his head in confusion. Sehun looks at him stupidly, but it is true, Yixing seems a little bit too fascinated about this new boy.

Even so he takes a hold Sehun's head and forces him to look at him deep in the eyes.

"I have been searching for you all my life!"

Yeah, it looks like Yixing's trying to hit on Sehun or something, really excitedly, when in reality he's talking about the force he feels from Sehun. His power. Him being one of the forces.

"Yes, I was searching for you too. Please, I need your help with something", the boy pleads when trying to take off the other's hands from his face. He doesn't like his face being squished between his hands.

Yixing then removes his hands gently, blinking a few times innocently. They keep a little distance to each other now, as Sehun prefers it. Father Lee doesn't stop observing the situation though. Yixing's reaction was way too bizarre.

"My friend is laying in the hospital, with a wound on his chest. Could you come and help us out a little bit? After that, I could... help you with something. I could provide you home."

The boy gets off the bed tiredly. He offers a gentle smile to the priest.

"Thank you always for taking care of me."

Father Lee smiles a little bit and nods his head.

"Take care of yourself. God bless you."

"You too, Father."

"I'll try not to take a year the next time I visit", Sehun adds when they are walking downstairs, he holding Yixing's hand and leading him out of the church.

***

"...So, you're telling me that this person I'm gonna heal is a cop, a member of the forces who's looking for the other forces, and your boyfriend?" Yixing wonders as they're sitting outside the door of Luhan's room in the hospital. He was in treatment and they will have to wait a little bit for the nurse to tell them to go inside.

"Yup."

"And you've been living with him over four months?"

"Yup."

"And you two love each other?"

"That is quite not what I said, but it's true and I won't argue with that." Sehun throws a leg over the other and waits patiently, just telling this new guy some things about the forces and people they've already found. Tao, Kris and Kai. They will find more soon enough.

"So where will you take me after this is over?"

"I will take you in our house. Or, it's his, but... You know... We've registered that I live there too and you... You... Uhm... I have to talk with him a little bit about it. Maybe I shouldn't take responsibilities like these on my shoulders, but that place looked to disgusting!"

Yixing utters a laughter, "Well, yeah, you could see the dust everywhere. The floor was actually wooden brown, not grey."

Sehun chuckles at his statement, but just then a nurse gets out of the room and opens the door for Sehun and Yixing. The two get up quickly and walk to the room where Luhan is laying on the bed.

Yixing's eyes widen when he sees the man. Firstly, because of the power that he's radiating all over himself, and second of all, because...

"...Lu-ge...?"

He looks familiar.

Luhan hears the voice and opens his eyes to see his boyfriend. To that, he smiles a little bit. But when seeing the other person on the other side of him, his eyes widen. He throws his head back on the pillow and just thinks.

Yixing runs next to the bed. Sehun is weirded out by this and looks at them stupidly. Weird enough, his boyfriend is not looking at him, he's looking at this new guy.

"...Yixing...?"

"I thought you had forgot about me!" Yixing pouts.

"I had no idea you were one of the forces..." Luhan shakes his head. He's not gonna believe this. "Am I dreaming...?"

"No, gege, this is reality, and I am one of The Twelve Forces. I had no idea I was either, I was a kid, how was I supposed to know that I have supernatural powers? I did not notice withered roses healing around me!"

Sehun is totally lost. But now that Yixing said that, there is a rose that Sehun bought days ago. It's in perfect shape now.

Luhan smiles a little bit, sadly. Yixing takes a hold of his hand and tries to smile too, painfully.

"I didn't see you once after you went back to China", the cop tells, now talking Chinese so Sehun does not understand. He hates this! He wants Luhan's attention!

"You told me many times not to worry about it, you said we would meet again. And, apparently, you were right. Now look at us. What happened to you who always drove around with his motorcycle, always being a little bit too protective over his little sister?"

Luhan smiles really painfully and blinks a few times. He shoots his look back at the ground.

"Oh... Yixing, time has gone by so quickly... You were sixteen when you left, right? So... You... Have no idea... Time really has passed by this quickly?"

"Uhm, Lu-ge..." Yixing looks at him sadly. "...Where is she...?"

"She's dead, Yixing. She's been long dead."

"...Oh... I-I'm so sorry..."

"It's alright, you couldn't have known... Besides, I said already, it was years ago. Don't get worked up over past."

Yixing pulls him into a hug. Slowly he brings his hand to his chest, to heal the wound. Luhan just lets him, replying to the hug.

When the wound starts to heal, slowly, Yixing lets out a grunt. His face scrunches up in pain, and Sehun does notice that. It's not like it was a snap of his finger, and the wounds were gone. It's more like... a caress of that place and some of the pain the other is having, or was having.

Luhan does not seem pained for one bit. He is suddenly a lot calmer, even if noticing how tense the other one hugging him is.

Luhan slips from his hands, he is totally limb. Gently he closes his eyes.

Sehun almost panics by this.

"...Wh-what did you do?"

"...He's... He's just sleeping for an hour or two... so... he can recover from it... He must have... a lot of medicine here... It needs to get out of his system..." Yixing talks in cuts because he's totally exhausted. He has to even his breath.

"...A-are you hurt?"

"...No... It's... just that the pain they could feel... when the wound was made... I can feel half of it..."

"Oh... That must hurt..." Sehun walks to him to help him sit down on a chair. "H-how do you know Luhan?"

"...We were friends... Back in high school, middle school and elementary school, we were inseparable... I left when I needed to go back to Changsha... My grandmother... was diseased... I left there to take care of her... But her disease made me weaker... And so I find myself often powerless and I need to take a moment... to... catch my breath..."

He takes a real deep breath and breathes in deeply and calmly, Sehun helping him out a bit.

"...But now I guess it's more likely that I can come to your place."

 


	22. Meimei

**9 years ago**

"What's wrong with you, Luhan?" the father shakes his head and sighs. The boy stands before him before the front door, looking down at the ground, holding his hands behind his back and avoiding his father's look.

The father takes a hold of his collar and sniffs his shirt.

"Show me your hands." Luhan doesn't obey at first, but that doesn't matter to his father who takes a hold of them with force. Just as he expected, the boy's hands smell like cigarettes.

Then he hits the son's head slightly.

"You really thought that you could cover up that smell with deodorants and some fancy perfumes? Huh? Are you really that stupid?! You thought I wouldn't notice?!" the father yells, spit flying from his mouth. Luhan turns his head, not wanting to have all that spit on his face. His eyebrows are furrowed arrogantly. He couldn't give two shits about this man.

The world is cruel, especially when the cruel people in the cruel world have angels' as their children.

Someone opens the front door. A 14-year-old girl peeks behind it with big eyes. The yelling made her come to the door.

The father turns around to look at her. Immediately his eyes soften when seeing his own daughter, not this scumbag of a son who's not even his own. Luhan lets out a deep sigh. She's a savior, and she's an angel.

"Baba are you yelling at Lu-ge again?" she asks with a cute voice. The father furrows his eyebrows at her comment, and glances back at the son.

"He did something bad."

"What bad? I'm not a kid anymore, you can tell me. Lu-ge always tells me everything."

That doesn't make the father pleased, however. He turns to look at his son and grabs his collar, earning a glare from the latter. Luhan grabs his hands and tries to shake him off of himself.

"...What everything?"

"You know, how he feels and then he tells me who he's crushing on, he says if my makeup needs some fixing, and if my outfit doesn't match with it. If he's sad, he always tells it to me. He said that he's sad about the fact that you and mama don't treat him as your son, more like a kid who lives in the same house and takes care of your little girl."

Luhan turns his look to the ground, kind of embarrassed about his sister telling his father that. The old man looks at him from head to toes, pushes his shoulder slightly and goes back inside the house.

"He smokes", he tells the girl. She doesn't care, though, what she now needs is some advise from her big brother.

She eagerly takes a hold of his hand and tells him to come with her to their room. They share a room because the house is too small. The parents didn't plan on two kids, and after that, they haven't had money for a bigger one. But they do fit here perfectly.

The girl seats her brother on his bed and takes a skirt from on top of the drawer. Unlike her father, she doesn't mind Luhan smelling like cigarettes. Mostly because she's used to it and that's what makes her feel like home. This is her big brother.

"Do you think this skirt fits me better", she shows a blue skirt to his brother. "Or this dress." And then she takes out a red dress.

Luhan takes a better position on the bed. Even if he is a little bit mad because of what she said to the father, he can't stay angry. All he ever does in life is protect his little sister, anyways.

"The blue one. It fits you better cause it's shorter and you have pretty thighs." She lets out a giggle to her brother's statement. He only smiles a little bit.

"Sorry for telling baba about what you said to me last night."

"Lifen, he asked you. You needed to answer."

"Yeah, but... I still hurt your privacy."

"It's alright."

Lifen utters a small smile when putting the skirt and dress back on the drawer. She jumps on her big brother on the bed and snuggles against his chest, laughing slightly. Luhan sighs, but he can't stop the smile that's rising on his lips as he takes her in his embrace.

"You do know that I will always protect you, meimei?"

"Of course I know that. You're my gege. When you find your little prince, I will have to lend you to him sometimes." He utters a laughter while ruffling her black straight hair. "And about that... How's it going with Beomsoo?"

"...He still hasn't noticed that I exist, and I would like to keep it that way."

"No way, gege. You have to tell Beomsoo that you like him!" Luhan shakes his head rapidly.

"No, I cannot tell him! He might not even like boys..." he protests with a pout. Lifen gets off of his embrace and takes a pillow from the end of the bed.

"Yes you can! Dude, every boy in my class would totally go gay for a guy like you! You're like, a dream!" Then she hits the pillow to his face, leaving Luhan a little mesmerized.

"H-hey!"

"Coward! Beomsoo is so gay for you!"

"He's not!" Luhan argues when also taking a pillow and smacking it to her face, they both laughing at each other.

Pillow fights with Lifen have always been one of Luhan's favorite things in his life. They always have silly fights over things like these, and they end up with a pillow fight.

"Stop giggling like that! Makes me think like I had two daughters..." the father knocks on the door as he slightly opens it to take a peek inside. The two on the bed don't stop there, just hit each other with the pillows even harder.

The father has to walk to them to make them finally stop. Lifen laughs at her brother's goofy look on his face and ruffles his hair slightly. Luhan smiles widely to him, but the father has to take that joy from them too.

"Lifen, can you wait outside? I need to talk with Luhan."

The girl glares at her father as Luhan just shoots his look to the ground.

"Why? Are you going to lecture him again? Why can't I just be with him without you or mom always sniffing around?"

"I need-", the father sighs as he rubs his face. "I need to tell him something. Okay? So you just go away from this room for a moment, alright?"

Lifen huffs at him angrily, but does get up from the bed. She leaves the room silently, still looking back at her father who's making sure she's leaving, and then at her brother, who's looking at the ground with furrowed eyebrows.

Gently she closes the door, keeping her eyes on her father who just looks at her stupidly when obviously she doesn't want to leave the two alone together in the same room. The last time that happened, neither of them got out of the room with a happy look on their faces.

The father turns to look at Luhan who's keeping his eyes at the ground. He sighs deeply, ready for another lecture.

"...Who sells those to you? You're under-aged."

Luhan keeps silent.

"Luhan, please. It's bad for your health, and it's bad for your lungs."

"I'm not gonna give you any names because of those reasons."

"...You don't have to. You just need to quit." The boy slowly raises his head to look at his father.

"...Just quit? Like it was that easy."

The father sighs as he sits down on the bed right next to him. Luhan unconsciously sits away from him.

"I will help you. Lifen will help you."

"...And mama just gives two shits about me, like always, doesn't she?" he grunts out while leaning his head against his arms. Father places his hand against his son's back, hesitating to touch him. They don't really have any physical contact, they haven't had since Luhan was twelve. He was a big boy, he didn't need hugs or anything.

"She cares about you, Luhan. I care about you. We have been shitty parents by always putting your sister's needs before yours, but don't parents always pay more attention to their younger kids?"

"...You've always loved her more than you have ever loved me..."

"You sound a little bit histrionic." The father throws an arm around him and pulls near himself. Luhan keeps his gaze at the ground, but lets his father hug him. He can't say it wouldn't feel good. "Maybe I don't say this too often, but... you're our son, and I love you."

Luhan agrees, he doesn't say it very often. He should, though.

"...So, who was this Beomsoo that you were talking about?"

"Baba, please."

"Come on, you can tell me! Is he cute?" Luhan utters a small laughter at his father trying to talk about boys with him. It does feel weird, with his father even accepting all that. Though the mother is not that open minded as her husband and daughter.

How does he even know? Well, he might have heard the other talking in their room.

The parents called him to talk about the matter in the kitchen. Luhan actually thought that the mother would be the one accepting him, but it turned out that she only yelled at him. The father had to calm her down and say to Luhan, who was breaking apart at that moment, that he still loved him as his son and will always support him.

At least the father has always supported him. He at least tries to act like he cared about Luhan as much as he cares about Lifen, unlike the mother who couldn't care less. She always blames Luhan.

The father almost lets the son out of his embrace, but the latter pulls his arm back on his shoulder and tightens his own arms around his father. The older one utters a laughter, his heart warming to the scene of his son hugging him after these four years.

"...You still smell like cigarettes."

"...I'm sorry I'm such a trouble to you all the time."

"No, no, I understand, you must feel envious for your sister getting all the attention."

Luhan presses his head against his chest and sighs. Maybe it's true. He's a little bit of histrionic, seeking for his parents' attention.

***

The big brother often gets his little sister from school. He has a motorcycle that he uses a lot, and it does impress a lot of people. What Luhan wants is to impress Beomsoo, though. The said boy doesn't even spare a glance at him, making Luhan look at the ground with a pout.

Lifen always notices when her brother is upset. She runs to him with a wide smile on her lips while waving at the same time, earning a cute smile from the brother.

"Would you like to go somewhere to eat today? Now that baba is not home", he asks. Lifen utters a small smile when taking a helmet from her brother.

"Gege I know you don't like mama all that much but you should at least try to be with her."

"She hates me. She's made that one clear to me. So there's no use in trying to be with her."

"Mama doesn't hate you as much as you think she does."

"Oh yeah?" he asks as he leans on the motorcycle. "Then why does she hit me all the time? I mean, she pulls my hair without a fucking reason." He sighs in despair while turning away from Lifen. The girl tries to stop him, but knows there's no use. Luhan is persistent when he has an opinion about something.

"She's trying to be your mother, but she's just a little bit too strict and gets mad about a lot of things... But, you know, you shouldn't worry about it." He sighs again, deeper this time. "Let's go to that Chinese restaurant, okay, gege?"

"Yeah... Sure..." he says when pulling his helmet on his head, and she pulling on hers. Just like always, they go to that same Chinese restaurant they always spend time in with their Chinese friends.


	23. Past Crush

Luhan utters his eyes open while hearing nurses talking to each other, observing Luhan's chest. The patient slowly shakes his head, everything is fuzzy and flurry. He does know he's in the hospital.

The noises. The nurses sound really mesmerized.

"Unbelievable...!" she exclaims and Luhan can feel her hands brushing over his chest, over the spot that was shot. "There is no mark left...! It's like it had... disappeared...!"

"But how is that possible?" the other nurse asks, also staring at Luhan's body.

"I don't know... I-it couldn't have been disappeared, it couldn't have...!"

"...God does make miracles after all, doesn't He?"

"Don't talk nonsense! Be logical!"

"Hey... There's no need to be rude..."

Luhan blinks a few times, trying to open his eyes and see the nurses. They're searching his body from head to toes, everything is healed.

The man sits up casually to which the two nurses jump back a bit. He stretches his arms like a cat and yawns loudly.

"Can I go home now? I feel just fine", he exclaims.

"A-are you sure you're feeling okay?" the other nurse wonders when walking to him. Luhan nods his head a few times with a cute smile on his lips. His hair are just sticking out everywhere.

"I feel like a whole new person", he states with a grin. The nurses look at him weirdly and glance at each other.

"Maybe we should inform the doctor before you go..." the other exclaims. Luhan nods his head.

"Okay."

***

"Honey I'm home!" Luhan yells from the door. He got home without telling Sehun anything, he wanted to surprise the younger like this, a day after Yixing had healed him. It was really effective. But now, after he already called for the other, he cannot hear a thing from him.

He leaves his shoes at the door and his jacket on the coat rack, only to hear a giggle from the bedroom.

Wait. A giggle from the bedroom? Who on earth, who other than Luhan himself, could make his boyfriend _giggle in the bedroom_?

No, why would he think about things like that in the first place? Sehun wouldn't let anyone touch him, and he trusts him. If someone were to do something to him, it would most likely remind him of the past.

But wasn't Yixing staying at their place? There seems to be a mattress in the living room right next to the couch. There are pillows and blankets. Kai probably left yesterday now that Sehun has new company and too many people in Luhan's too small home - he never thought he would need a bigger one.

What are they even doing? Luhan sneaks closer to Sehun's bedroom door, listening to the giggles of his boyfriend. The bed creaks a little bit. Why? The cop is worried to the core, what on earth is happening and why is happening?

A sudden loud noise startles him. Something drops on the floor.

 _"Oh! I am so sorry!"_ he can hear Sehun apologize.

 _"It's alright"_ , and the other voice belongs to Yixing. Of course, Kai must have left. It's a double betrayal. _"It's just a scratch."_

_"If I had known how big it was I wouldn't have taken it so carelessly."_

Okay now Luhan is so lost. What is he even listening to? He doesn't want to open the door, but he feels too curious. What is this treachery?

When Luhan can't hear anything else than "too tight" from Yixing's next statement, he has to open the door to see what the hell is happening.

However, the two on the bed do not notice him at all, don't hear him coming from Sehun's loud laughter.

The two are sitting on the bed, looking at something on Yixing's lap. Sehun points his finger and laughs even louder.

"Is that him? Really?" he obviously can't believe something he's looking at is true. What is so mesmerizing? "Oh my God his hair look hideous!"

Luhan blinks a few times in wonder, and Yixing looks back at the other boy.

"Yes, he is! And that there, is me."

"And this girl..." Sehun's laughing stops when he points at something. "Is his little sister...?"

"Yeah... She's Lifen..."

Luhan now points his sad look to the floor. To think that he actually thought of the worst situation possible, Sehun cheating on him. Like hell, he can't even talk to new people, he can't even let Luhan between his legs - how could he let a stranger take him?

That's right. He can't.

It gives some closure to the older.

"...Jagi..." he calls from the door and that's when Sehun turns his head immediately. He jumps off of the bed to run to his boyfriend and close him in his arms. Luhan is a bit dumbfounded by this, Sehun is holding him so tightly Yixing will have to heal him all over again.

The younger squeezes him so tightly the third wheel could almost see his eyes popping out of their sockets. But he just laughs at it. Their bond truly is strong.

"I missed you so goddamn much", he pouts. Luhan tugs his shirt when hugging back, snuggling onto his neck and breathing in his scent.

"I wasn't away that long..."

"...Weren't you long enough away from me..." Sehun claims when just hugging him tightly, closing his eyes. Luhan looks at his childhood friend sitting on the bed and smiles a bit, the latter smiling back to him in an angelic way. Two weeks is too long for the both of them, but these 8 years between Luhan and his friend...

"What were you two talking about?"

"Yixing-ssi just showed me some pictures of you when you were teens. He showed me a cute picture of him and you, you were wrapping an arm over his shoulder and he showed a peace sign, you both just smiling brightly in front of your motorcycle", Sehun explains eagerly. He was actually really happy to hear and see what Yixing had to tell and show about their youth together. It seemed exciting and fun, unlike his own that was pretty lonely.

Luhan blinks a few times when wondering, just looking at his friend who shows his phone.

"Yeah, and he kind of dropped my phone... He said it was too big and he held it too tightly so... it was on the ground..."

Oh, that explains why Luhan heard what he heard. Well, he's very glad that it's not what he thought it was. In happiness he can only hug his boyfriend tighter and close his eyes, relieved.

"I am just so happy that you're back", Sehun states. Their moment lasts so long Yixing doesn't want to be in the room for much longer so he decides to go to the living room, passing the lovers without them noticing anything.

"Did Kai leave yesterday?" Luhan wonders. Sehun tenses up a little by the question.

"Well... He actually left a few days ago, his sister was pretty pissed..." The older furrows his eyebrows a little.

"And what does that mean?"

"I might or might not have called... Someone else after him..."

Now Luhan breaks the hug and looks at his boyfriend weirdly. Sehun blushes when looking down at the ground.

"You called who?"

"Well..."

Sehun thinks back to that moment when it was really late in the evening. He remembers shivering alone in the kitchen, looking all around himself if he wasn't there only with their cats. Yes, Mister and Miss Cat gave him some closure by being there for him, but it wasn't enough. He didn't feel safe and was miserable, he wanted Luhan back.

It was just like all the nights Luhan had a really long day at work. Sehun would wait him in the kitchen, looking outside the house all the time to see a car driving to their garage.

But that time, there was no car driving to the garage. There was no Luhan to hug. He needed company, and he was desperate, so...

"Tao?!" Luhan throws his head back and lets out a desperate whine. Now he needs to look through Sehun's whole body if Tao had done anything to him - but why would Tao even do anything to Sehun? Why is Luhan so paranoid and only trusting Kai and Yixing?

"Hey", the younger whines when his boyfriend checks his body from head to toes, lifting his sleeves and pulling down his collar. "Why do you not trust Tao? He did not do anything to me. He didn't even bring Kris with him."

"I can't believe I could let you be with Tao."

"He is a nice person, Luhan, and so is Kris. At least they sometimes visit when you're at work... Actually they're a little bit afraid of you."

Luhan snorts. He isn't going to believe that, but Sehun's eyes look very sad.

"They said they wanna be close to the forces, but they're afraid of you and your judgement. They're afraid that you do not accept them to be in the forces", the younger explains with a sad voice. Luhan raises his head slowly to meet his boyfriend's. He has a pout on his face, how is Luhan supposed to resist his pout?

"Why are you so nice? You don't have to feel sorry for two criminals", Luhan rolls his eyes, but Sehun takes a firm hold of his hand. Slowly, he interlaces his fingers to calm the other down. Luhan looks at their hands with furrowed eyebrows, then Sehun who looks pleading.

"I talked to them, Luhan. I know them. And I think that you should give them a chance to show that they are nice people. The Twelve Forces need to be one, and you being a cop and those two being... criminals, should not be in our way. We need to have faith and trust in each other", the younger says while looking at his boyfriend with begging eyes. "Please."

Luhan sighs deeply, "Okay, I'll give them a chance. Maybe we could... I don't know... Have a double date or something...?"

Sehun's eyes widen from shock when he hears that coming from the older. He's actually giving a chance to Tao and Kris?

"Yes!" he jumps up happily and pulls the older into a tight hug, hugging the life out of him again. Luhan smiles to the tight hug painfully, he's just happy to make him happy.

***

Yixing sits back at the chair while eating ramen. The other two are sitting at the table too, at the other chairs before him. There are only four chairs around the table. Sehun eats his rice again while Luhan drinking coffee in the evening - what else would he even be drinking?

The younger Chinese looks at the two alternatively. They seem so comfortable with each other, well of course, they have been living in the same house for over four months. But it is so comfortable, like nothing was awkward between them. Yixing could sense that there is a special bond just between the two of them.

He never had that kind of bond, though. He always wanted to be with someone, but in the end he just felt too anxious and left every girl and every guy he ever dated. Luhan knows that, too, Yixing has a commitment phobia. Committing even to Luhan as a best friend was so hard for him way back when they were kids. Yixing was afraid, so he was afraid he had to leave his best friend. Luhan said they would never part, but look how he had to go back to his grandmother.

Maybe they never really did part. They are both part of the forces, after all. They are together again, after all.

"How could you two not know back then that you are part of the forces?" Sehun wonders out loud. Like, he had to freaking go through everything the hard way. He was so young when his powers started to show, but he hid everything from his mother to protect her.

Luhan and Yixing glance at each other, then look back at Sehun weirdly. The youngest blinks a few times innocently, he's curious.

"Well, like I said to you, I did not notice wilted roses healing around me. Me just being next to my grandmother made her feel better, but just because of my power. I had no idea about these things before I turned eighteen and met this monk who told me something about The Twelve Forces. I was kind of dumbfounded and thought he was crazy before I started to do some research. That's... how I found myself in Seoul in the first place."

"So you knew where to find us?" Luhan asks when looking at him weirdly. Yixing shrugs.

"I was kindly delivered with information. I was dumb enough to believe to this kind signature that told me, that the base of The Twelve Forces is here in Seoul."

Luhan's eyes widen in realization. Sehun looks at them both alternatively, only to see that Yixing didn't get Luhan's thoughts either.

"So there is... an organization... that does know about us, and helps us..." he states silently, making the other two amused.

"What?! But isn't that... great?" Sehun yells to his boyfriend who closes his eyes to nod a few times.

"That is great, but I want to find them. I have a feeling that we might have to at some point."

"So we have an organization on our side? That makes things a lot more easier..." Yixing states with a thoughtful look on his face. "And they helped me to find you..."

"Xing-ah... I have a question", Luhan sighs when now leaning his head on his hand, arm leaning against the table while the other hand playing with the coffee mug. It's still hot, but there's only a little bit left of it. Yixing sits up better to hear what has his gege on his mind. "What have you been up to? Besides from your grandmother... How are you?"

The younger shrugs a bit. "Well, I did take care of grandma, but she passed away like three years ago. After that, I started to do more research on The Twelve Forces. My life's been pretty simple and boring in Changsha, I stayed there with my parents. I did wonder from time to times, where the hell are you. I missed you a lot."

"Yeah..." Luhan bites his lips, trying to hide the frown from his face. "I missed you too..."

Sehun listens to them intently, utterly interested about their pasts. What was it like, he would like to know. They must have been really close friends.

Luhan turns his look to his boyfriend and smiles a little bit, reading his thoughts that are so loud.

"Me and Yixing were the best of friends since we were six. For ten years." He keeps a pause when looking at his friend from under his brows. He has a question in his mind and he's waiting for the other's approval. Yixing nods a little bit, encouraging him to go on. "...He's my ex."

Sehun stares at Yixing a little while, the latter still smiling at him a little bit. This cutiepie of a sweetie boy is Luhan's ex-boyfriend, and Luhan's ex-best friend?

"...At what point were you two dating at then...?" he wonders while pointing at them. Luhan purses his lips tightly shut again.

"When I was almost sixteen, Luhan confessed to me. I went with it, cause I just wanted to experience it... I... kind of used him for my first time. It was just so natural to be with him, so I thought, why not?"

"...I did notice how tense you were, and a bit... not-so-natural with being with me that way..."

"Wait a minute", Sehun butts in, pointing his finger again. The two Chinese look at him weirdly. "This fucking cutiepie lost his... virginity... to you...?"

Yixing and Luhan glance at each other, then nod reluctantly. Sehun doesn't understand why he takes it as such a big deal. He hasn't even lost his virginity. Being in the hands of that bastard does not count. He had only kissed a few people before meeting Luhan.

The oldest waves his hand in front of his boyfriend who's staring at the table with furrowed eyebrows. To think that Luhan took Yixing's virginity, the thought is not sitting well with Sehun. It feels like he had cheated on him, but everything is in the past and they were teens. Luhan had a crush and Yixing was in love with the thought of love.

"Hey... It's been like nine years since that happened... You don't have to think about the teen me who threw everything upside down in his room after Yixing left. That is in the past. You know that I love you and if you were to leave, I wouldn't fucking let you, or at least come with you. You know that I turned down FBI, and I would turn down my work as a police if it was between our love. Don't get worked up over past."

Sehun takes a deep breath and listens to his boyfriend's soothing words. They do help him out a little bit, but only a little bit.

"So... You two are not married...?" Yixing raises an eyebrow when hearing this from his childhood best friend. Luhan furrows his eyebrows when looking at him.

"We have dated for two months, we cannot be married."

"The time doesn't tell true love", he exclaims when keeping on eating his ramen. Luhan looks back at Sehun whose mind is filled with images of Luhan and Yixing together. Why is he so... jealous? So... mistreated? Why does he feel a need to get closer to Luhan then? Is is because he knows what they did, and wants to mean more?

After all, these two have been friends for all their lives.

"...Please, don't be mad at me Sehun. It was nine years ago, how could I have known that someday I would be lucky enough to have a boyfriend to love, someone like you? My feelings for Yixing weren't that true, nor that strong."

"Nor were his feelings returned", Yixing adds, making a look to Luhan.

"...I just..." Sehun sighs deeply when sitting up properly and slowly standing up from the table. "...Have to think about it for a while..." He then leaves the room, leaving them alone.

Luhan looks back at his boyfriend who walks out of the kitchen quickly, making sure not to look back or at Luhan so the other could read his thoughts. He frowns, sighing to himself and looking down at the table. Now the coffee doesn't taste so well as it usually does.

Yixing looks at him sadly before reaching for his hand through the table. He utters a small smile when their eyes meet, his black hair slightly covering his view.

"I am glad to have you back", he says, now talking in Chinese, earning a sad smile from the other. "But is it really alright if I stay with you guys? Sehun seems pretty upset now that he knows."

"He is just a little... I don't know, possessive over me, I think. Kinda like... You know, he doesn't like me touching anyone else like I don't like anyone touching him."

"...So you're saying he'll get over it?" Yixing wonders, earning a nod from Luhan.

"Of course. He was with Tao for fuck's sake, I cannot trust that hormone lured fuckboy." The younger utters a laughter at his words. He remembers everything Sehun had told him about Tao yesterday, how the two just want to fit in but are afraid of Luhan.

"...Hey... Do I sleep on the couch...?" he wonders, but Luhan furrows his eyebrows.

"Ahh... Uhm... Well, you can sleep on the couch this night, let's see if Sehun's more relented to let me sleep in the same bed with him."

"...You guys sleep in the same bed?" Yixing asks under his eyebrows, to which Luhan just awkwardly scratches the back of his neck. "Oh get married already!"

***

After showering, Luhan decides to do the thing that he intended. He opens the door to Sehun's room carefully, looking at the bed where Sehun is laying, restless, back facing the door.

Slowly he makes his way into the room and closes the door, only to hear his boyfriend sigh deeply. He walks closer and sits on the edge of the bed, looking at the other's beautiful back covered with his top again. Even if mad, he can still wear Luhan's clothes.

He sneakily gets on the bed to place a soft kiss on Sehun's neck and up to his shoulder. The younger is staring at the wall blankly, holding his head on his arm.

Luhan drapes a hand over him and snuggles a little closer. He jumps under the blanket to place his bare thighs against Sehun's. It's so warm. 

"...Will you forgive me...?"

"You have nothing to apologize for", Sehun sighs deeply. "It's just me being over-sensitive over the one who's actually ever cared for me."

Luhan blinks a few times in wonder. His long eyelashes brush over Sehun's skin, tickling the latter.

"Come on", Sehun huffs when pulling Luhan's hand and draping it over his own chest. "Let's just sleep."


	24. Double Date

Luhan aims the ball to the 10 pins standing in the end of the line. And when he throws it, all of them fall down.

"Yes!" he exhilarates, jumping up from his place and throwing punches in the air. Right behind him his boyfriend jumps too and claps his hands together.

"Yay honey you did it!" he coos when giving a high-five to the older one.

On the other side, Tao and Kris are looking at them with not so amused expressions. Yes, this is their double date. Bowling. Luhan and Sehun left Yixing home with their cats and hoping that the one isn't burning down the house. Well, if he did, it's not like Luhan didn't have any money to spare.

Even if it meant buying a new house and new everything.

Luhan first didn't want to have this date, but as soon as Sehun heard he's having a day off, he was kind of forced to do so. Sehun left him no choice and he called Kris immediately. Well, the both of them were so happy to hear that, but Luhan... he kind of broke his coffee mug with his force and managed to hurt his arm a little bit. (And then Yixing had to heal the bastard.)

"That was like your first strike", Tao rolls his eyes. "We're leading for like thirty points you losers."

"Hey! I've got a job! That does not count bowling, I'm only working out with the other cops sometimes", Luhan says, not embarrassed about his and Sehun's horrible playing. They totally suck at this. Tao and Kris are so winning the competition.

"I-I have never been bowling but this is so fun!" Sehun says with a happy grin. He is the only one not wanting to win this competition. Just seeing that happy smile makes all the others' hearts melt.

And even his laughter is so sweet when he misses all the pins, turning around and shrugging, you can't always win. That's when the three just want to cry, why is Sehun so perfect anyways? He just wants to have fun with the three of them.

It's Tao's turn and he intentionally slips it from his hand. Seeing Sehun like that makes him emotional. Why is he so cute? He laughs when Tao misses the pins and when he turns around, he smiles widely.

Since when has their objective been making Sehun happy anyways?

"Hey, since no one's here", Luhan starts as he makes his way to the other two sitting on the other side. He leans closer to them to almost whisper, "Should we try some unfair bowling?"

His grin is so evil, cap pulled back taking all the brown strands away from his face. His small black eyes probably burn holes to the other two Chinese who pull their heads back, Luhan is mildly creepy with a face like that.

"I thought cops don't cheat", Kris snorts. Luhan closes his eyes for the while he shrugs. He glances behind himself at Sehun who's looking at them all with big eyes. Luhan's smirk is then at the ground before at them again, and then he changes the language.

"My captain said no dating with victims, but look who sits there."

"Are you gonna cheat him to bed too?" Tao wonders to which Luhan wants to hit him.

Okay maybe one day he will. Sehun will never know.

"Such an irresponsible police officer", Kris shakes his head disapprovingly. Luhan wants to hit him too.

"So how about the unfair bowling?" he changes back to Korean so Sehun there can listen to them talking without being utterly confused.

"Hey! Were you just talking shit about me or why the change of languages?!" the youngest huffs when pouting and wrapping arms on his chest. The three chuckle, he looks cute, not mad.

"No, honey, we were just talking about who will serve you bubble tea after this for being so cute", Luhan says with a gentle smile, making the younger one blush a little when giggling softly. "We came to the conclusion that it's Tao."

"H-hey!"

"He will also serve me iced americano and Kris whatever."

"S-since when did we decide that?!" Tao stutters out, whining. "You're the oldest, you should do it!"

Luhan turns his cold gaze to him, "And I am a cop, and I can arrest the both of you."

Tao and Kris gulp when looking at each other in fear. Who does Luhan even think he is?

"We're not afraid of you!" Kris spits out, now standing up from next to his boyfriend. "You're the smallest of us anyways!"

"Small?" Luhan utters a laughter when taking a step back, now standing before the line. He aims, and throws the ball. It doesn't go smoothly, no, and if Luhan wouldn't cheat, it would only hit like three pins. But a simple turn of his hand, and all the pins are down.

The three others look at him eyes wide open when he walks back to Kris with a mean smirk on his face, head up and looking all mighty. He points his finger at the other Chinese.

"From the scale of how much I have power, how much bigger my force is, and how much influence I have, you are just a small little pea... and I am-"

Before Luhan can finish his threat, is Sehun standing behind him and now pulling him back from his ear. The older lets out a squeak when his boyfriend drags him away, back to the other side. Just a few moments ago, he was a smiling, laughing mess and now he just looks irritated.

He seats Luhan down and looks at him with angry eyes, the older one a little bit lost. He looks back at the other two who are also lost, searching for explanation from their eyes.

"We came here to have wonderful time together, and it is not fulfilling right now!" Sehun yells at his boyfriend who feels just slightly submissive all of a sudden. Sehun is so scary when he's angry and yelling - something he has never done to Luhan. Not like this. "Why are you doing this to Tao and Kris? They are nice people and you're... threatening them!"

Luhan feels a bit like a child being scolded by his mother. He looks down at the ground with an embarrassed look on his face. He doesn't dare to look at the two who are chuckling at Luhan. If there's someone who can talk some sense into him, it's Sehun.

"Those poor people are afraid of you and your weird threats! Why can't you just let go and have fun like a normal human being?!" Sehun's screaming is so scary. Luhan has to pull back and almost hide himself. "We. Came here. To have. Fun. And that is what we're going to do. Have fun."

His voice sounds determined. Luhan is a little bit afraid to look up to see his boyfriend's angry eyes and furrowed eyebrows. Wow. That is the meanest thing he has ever seen in his life, and he's a cop for fuck's sake!

"Okay!" he finally replies. "Let's have fun! Let's just drop this stupid competition and go someplace else..."

The two raise from their seat from the other side and walk to Sehun and Luhan who are having a fight. Sehun leans his arms on Luhan's knees and looks at him deep in the eyes. It seems like the younger is winning the staring contest.

"Apologize!" Sehun suddenly snaps, making all of them startled. Luhan wants to run away, why is Sehun so intimidating?!

"I don't have to apologize for anything!"

"Yeah, he doesn't have to, let's just go to the cafe, shall we?" Tao suggests with a gentle voice, trying hard to pull Sehun's hand away.

"We are not going anywhere before he apologizes!"

"For what?!"

"For being a total douche towards them! For treating them like the scum of the human kind!"

"They _are_ scum of-"

Sehun slaps Luhan's mouth shut and looks at him really angrily, the older mirroring his expression. Tao and Kris look at them both alternatively.

"I feel bad that we caused you two to fight like this", Tao says sadly. "You seem like a perfect couple and it would be so sad to ruin all that joy between you two. We'll just leave..."

"No!" Sehun is determined to make this thing work, so he grabs Tao's arm. "How hard can apologizing be?!"

Luhan looks at the ground shyly. Tao stares at him eyes wide open, maybe waiting for him to say something.

But Luhan decides to use words Sehun doesn't understand, in Chinese. "Just because he makes me to do it doesn't mean we're even. I do not trust you."

"What the hell would we even do, Luhan? What are you afraid of?" Tao sighs in frustration, pulling his hair. "All the things I say are meant as a joke! I would never do anything like that to some other's boyfriend!"

"Besides, we are part of the forces and we should have trust in each other", Kris reasons. Luhan looks at the ground with a frown. Sehun looks at all of them, of course curious about the situation.

"We're negotiating", Tao says to the youngest one in Korean before sitting down next to Luhan. He changes back to Chinese to talk to the older one so deeply in thought. "Did you think I was serious? Did you think I would hurt him? Sweetie, I love him... like a brother. When I visited, the only thing he talked about was you. He hugged your pillow at night just because it smelled like you."

A sweet smile finds its way on Luhan's lips. He tries to prevent it, but how sweet is Sehun?

"Really? He did that?" he chuckles when looking up at Tao. The latter nods a few times happily.

"Besides..." now he leans in to whisper in his ear. "I have seen his scars, he wore a top when sleeping. Did you think I wouldn't understand? I have seen them many times. I am so worried about him... But don't worry, I won't tell anybody. Not even... him."

He means Kris. Now Luhan feels a bit bad. Why has he such stereotypes and beliefs about the two? Probably because they are kind of criminals and he is kind of a cop. They do not match.

But when they're taking care of Sehun... 

"...I trust you..."

It doesn't matter. The Twelve Forces need to be one and they need to take care of one another.

"I'm glad you do. Would you kindly trust Kris too? He isn't as cold as he looks like, but he is as weird", Tao exclaims now pointing at his boyfriend.

"H-hey!" Kris snaps but only making the other two chuckle.

"...For now I do", Luhan states. "For now I trust the both of you, and apologize for being a douche."

"It's understandable, after all, we shouldn't even show our faces to you", Kris says when wrapping arms on his chest. Sehun is growing bored.

"Are you done now?" he huffs. "I want bubble tea."

All the three of them turn to the frowning Korean. Luhan pokes his nose with his own, smiling cheekily to the funny face Sehun makes after it.

"We'll go get you bubble tea."

***

Everything cools down a bit as they go to the shop, it's evening and they're just having fun. It's one of the shops that don't have that many customers, just some university students having fun with their friends. And now, of course, the four. If Sehun wasn't kidnapped, he might also be here with his friends, having fun.

He wouldn't change that normal boring life to what he has now, though. It's evening and the sky is darkening, the lamps outside shining in the autumn weather in October, and Sehun is happy when clinging onto his boyfriend.

If moments could be lived again, this is one should be replayed multiple times.

"How long have you two been together?" Luhan wonders after taking a sip of his iced americano. Kris takes his own Thai latte, looking at Tao, waiting for him to explain.

"We have been together for... Hmm, almost a year?"

"Yeah, but we've been on and off a lot because of Tao's job", Kris states.

"But it's just a job", the younger reminds. Kris looks down at the table with a frown, nodding sadly. At this moment Luhan could almost feel some compassion for him. It must be hard to know that your boyfriend is fucking with someone else every night, even if it is... just a job.

An idea pops into his mind, but he's a bit flustered and nervous to say it. So he focuses his look on his own boyfriend, staring at his beautiful face turning sad.

He didn't even realize how lucky he and Sehun are. What they have works perfectly, except when Luhan's working hours piss Sehun off, but hey, there's nothing they could do about it. Luhan's captain already spoils him.

"It must be hard for you..." the youngest one exclaims with a sad frown. The two Chinese just nod reluctantly.

"...It is", Kris starts but has to take a deep breath to calm himself down. "...But in the end I know they do not love him, and he doesn't love them, so it gives me some closure. If his body isn't mine, then I at least know his heart is."

To that Tao looks at his boyfriend with sad eyes and places his hand on Kris' on the table. The older looks at their hands and slowly interlaces their fingers, but still the cold look on his face.

Luhan purses his lips together in a thin line and looks at the sadness before his eyes. He is so tempted to offer his help...

"That is so sad, but... so romantic!" Sehun beams when leaning his chin on his hands, elbows leaning against the table. He seems adoring the beautiful love between those two, and Luhan can't but crack a sad smile at that.

Sehun is actually adoring their sad love story. Kris is just happy to be with Tao even if the other has a job like that. He wants to help the two, but needs Luhan's help - and kind of his permission - to do so.

"Uh, I'm sorry to be such a mood ruiner", Kris awkwardly scratches the back of his neck when looking away. "You have been together for... three months, right?"

"Yeah. Since July", Luhan replies.

"I have a feeling that you will last", he smiles. Luhan grins back to him, then glancing at Sehun who only looks at the table with an embarrassed shy smile.

Tao gently brushes over the skin on Kris' hand, soothing it in a loving way. They're little gestures, but they show affection. Just a small touch holds a lot of meaning to it.

Luhan's heart breaks. He needs to do something about the sadness that is Kris' and Tao's relationship.

"Uhm, you guys should know something", the oldest speaks up, earning all of their attention. Sehun looks at his boyfriend with big eyes, while the other two across the table look a bit pained. Luhan himself is too nervous to see their gazes. "...When my parents died, I inherited something from my real, biological parents..."

His voice shakes, he's very nervous to say these things to them. It does make them curious, though.

"...What did you inherit?" Sehun wonders, blinking innocently.

"...Books. A letter from my father. And their legacy... a crapload of money and a huge mansion in Beijing. It's still there..."

"What kind of books?" That made Tao curious.

"...They were notes about The Twelve Forces, and some bullshit I still don't understand. Something about hidden powers and unlocking something, but for that, we do need all the forces. Everything I know is from the books. The letter I got from my father said that he and mother waited for their death, they knew what was coming. He told me not to ever dream of the life that could have been with them, because their death was bound to happen, and I should never thought it was an option in the first place. They died because they knew. That does bring me a question, did they know about the forces before I was even born? Did they wait for the time to have a baby? I cannot get an answer to that, and it just seems so... worthless. They lived their lives, I don't even know how old, just to have a baby... and after that... they would die..."

"...Why did you never tell me about this?" is the first question that pops into Sehun's mind. Luhan shrugs.

"I was waiting for the right time... When we had enough forces, so I could clear things out... But I guess the three of you are enough", he tells when raising his head and looking at all of them. Kris and Tao are staring at him with interest in their eyes.

"So your biological parents sacrificed themselves on the hope that you would someday save the mankind?" Tao wonders.

"Kinda. I guess. I have the letter in my office. And, uhm... about the crapload of money", he starts, making the other three stare at him with big eyes. There's a sudden small sparkle in all of their eyes when he mentions about the money. "I won't say how much, but it's a lot, and even to... support... the six of us... without a problem... Heck, I could support all the twelve of us."

They look at him with eyes wide open, jaws dropped. They never knew this about the police officer.

"So what I'm saying is that maybe we should move into some bigger circles..."

At this point Sehun jumps up to hug the living crap out of his boyfriend, making Luhan huff his last breaths. Tao's and Kris' eyes widen when they look at him in shock.

"Yes! Thank you so much Luhan!" Sehun beams when swinging him around. But he has to let go to ask further questions. "How big house?"

"A house big enough for the twelve of us", the older one grins, then pointing his look to the other two across the table. Their jaws and dropped and unconsciously curving into a smile. "Just because I have a legacy doesn't mean there's enough of it for forever wasting it. But it's enough for you two to stop everything illegal, and just... be with Sehun, Yixing and Kai."

They couldn't be more thankful to him, but now, they also need to tell Kai and Yixing about the whole plan.

 


	25. J'ai Cherché

Luhan opens the door to their new home, big two-storage house with at least six bedrooms. They will have to buy beds later, right now they just have to settle in.

"So, guys, how do you like this?" the oldest questions from the five who already drag themselves to the living room on the left. All of them spin around to look at the walls, their white paint and some old nails still hanging there. The place is lacking furniture, and they will have to take care of that soon so they can start living together. Luhan was lucky enough to find this place in sale, and the previous owner wanted to sell this as soon as possible. So it only took him less than three weeks to get here.

Tao stands in the middle of the living room as Kris makes his way to the kitchen. Sehun looks at the paints and wonders should they repaint this. Kai doesn't care. He stands right next to Luhan. Yixing is making sure there's no dirt.

"In here", Tao starts as he starts flailing his arms around. "We need a big ass couch. And here, we need similar one. And here, we need a huge television. But since you're so rich, Luhan, you'll take care of that, right? And here we need a carpet."

Luhan rolls his eyes.

"You can decorate the living room, alright, Tao?"

"Can I take the kitchen?" Kris asks when his head pops out the doorway.

"Ooh ooh ooh I wanna take the dining area!" Yixing jumps up. Luhan sighs and nods again. He better have the boys do what they want.

"I want to take care of the bathroom", Sehun exclaims when making his way to the bathroom to see what would be the most convenient setting for the room.

Everyone are already taking a good look at what they're doing to each rooms. Luhan and Kai glance at each other.

"Okay, so we'll take the entrance and the basement", Luhan states. Kai nods a few times.

"I did live years in my sister's basement, so I'm okay with it."

"Yeah... Let's take the washing machine to basement so you won't have to live there anymore." Kai nods to that. "And there's not much to put in the entrance... Do you want to sleep in the same room with Yixing? I mean, Tao and Kris are a couple and me and Sehun are a couple, so..."

Kai gets the hint immediately. He doesn't have to even think about it, even if he and Yixing don't really know each other that well. "...Well, yeah, sure, I'm fine with it."

They flash a smile to each other, then fix their eyes back to the others who are so keen on designing how's their new home going to look like.

***

Even if the house is a bit lacking on decorations and all that, the heating works fine and there are some kitchen counters. They only have mattresses in the living room and tomorrow they can shop for new things. This night they can eat some take outs and have a nice evening with the six of them. They can talk about the forces and get to know each other a little more. They tell all kinds of things from their pasts, some sad, some happy, something that they miss.

Sehun rolls himself into his blanket and sighs when snuggling against Luhan's side.

"You have work tomorrow?" he asks with a tired voice. Luhan chuckles cutely and ruffles his hair. Tao and Kris are laying in front of them and Yixing and Kai next to each other, keeping each other warm. Kai isn't afraid of strangers and he can be close to Yixing without a trouble.

"I have actually... But not for long, you know, so we can do all the shopping. Like, I have to be at the station early in the morning but after that I'll be home again to do some shopping with you", Luhan exclaims to which Sehun cutely nudges his sleeve.

"How are you gonna wake up without coffee, though", he chuckles. Luhan looks down at the ground anxiously. The damn coffee.

"I need to stop by a coffee shop while I'm going to work."

"Oh you coffee addict", Yixing laughs.

"Hey..."

"Have you ever thought about what it is that we're fighting against?" Tao wonders out loud. All the others turn to look at him while he's fixing his gaze on the ground. "I mean... are they demons? Are they people? Are they monsters? Are they our copies? Machines?"

Luhan knows to reply, "All I've heard is that the world will be taken by a shadow."

"...Demons...?" Yixing wonders when looking at his friend with big eyes. "Shadow many times refers to a demon."

"We can't possibly know that. Just gotta keep our eyes open and see what's coming", Kris exclaims. Sehun thinks for it a moment, looking at the ground with a thoughtful expression. There is something hidden in his mind, something that leads back to his mother, his real parents and the men who kidnapped him.

"...Maybe the people who took our parents are the enemy?" Sehun thinks.

"But aren't the organizations behind that?" Luhan asks.

"...What are the organizations?" Sehun looks back at him and makes him aware of that question. What are the organizations? Did they really take away Luhan's parents a year after he was born? Or was it something else? He's blamed everything on the _organizations_. What does he know about them? Absolutely nothing.

Luhan looks back at the candle that's lit in the middle of their circle. It's almost like the flame was trying to tell something. The spirit of the fire, where is he?

"The organizations are behind your mother's death. But your biological mother... maybe not?"

"So the enemy that we've been talking about", Yixing starts when trying to piece things together. "Killed your real parents?" Referring to Sehun, who nods.

"...Maybe..."

"That brings us closer to what we need to achieve", Luhan exclaims with a thoughtful expression. Right now his head aches and he wants to cuddle with Sehun. So he does push their bodies together and lay beside him, enjoying his warmth and soft laughter as he chuckles.

Sehun pats his boyfriends head. He's curling against the younger's body under the cover and all the boy aww to him.

"Such a baby our oldest member", Kai chuckles. Luhan shakes his fist to him.

Even though Kai enjoys to be with these people, he feels like he can trust them, he still wants an own boyfriend. Someone who he could tell all his secrets to, someone to protect him. He's really a hopeless romantic.

"When the sun rises and I have to leave to work, remember to make a list on what you need to buy from the department store", he adds from under the blanket. He can't help it. It's so comfortable there he wants to be near Sehun.

"Maybe we should head to sleep, so Luhan doesn't die at work", the youngest one suggests. The others nod, they see Luhan really seems to be tired. Such a mood killer by going to sleep before the others.

***

The morning rises and Luhan has to get up from the bed from next to his boyfriend. So warm. Everyone else are still asleep. He's always the first one to wake up, anyways. None of them goes to work. It kind of annoys him but he likes it that he's the only one dying to stress and then they can help him feel relaxed.

The cop outfit Luhan always uses is really hot on him. He can see Sehun peaking. He's not asleep after all.

"You better sleep while you can", Luhan says when taking the car keys from the kitchen counter. He sits on the floor before his boyfriend to place a kiss on his forehead. "Love ya."

"Have a nice day at work. Love you." The older smiles to himself when getting up and making his way to the door. He glances behind himself to see the younger still eyeing on him, like he would get lost on his way to the door. Luhan bought this house, there's no way he could get lost. Sehun just likes to stare at him. And he so wants to visit the gym when Luhan is there with his cop friends.

Every day getting up from next to Sehun is hard for Luhan. Waking up is nice, especially if you wake up before the sunrise. Then one can stare at his lover's beauty and mesmerize his luck. Getting up is another story. You have to leave the warmth of those arms. You have to get up and leave to the world so cold. Like a lost child out of mother's embrace, Luhan feels like a little kid sometimes. And every time he hears that perfect laughter he just wants to protect it.

He turns on the engine and leaves the yard. Now it's even bigger than the last one. Now when waiting, Sehun has to sit in the living room and stare at the window from there to see when Luhan comes back.

It's cute when he does so. So Luhan smiles to himself. The thought of Sehun always manages to bring a smile on his face.

On his way to the station, he passes by a coffee shop. It's his favorite that sells just the best kind of iced americano that Luhan likes.

And at the station, he greets his captain who looks at him with a worried look on his face. He's always worrying about Luhan. Even when the cop goes to his office, the captain follows. Luhan didn't notice him follow, so he's shocked to see him standing at the door when he sits down at his desk.

"God, why you gotta sneak up on me like that?" he mutters and sighs when taking a report from his desk. A report from a younger cop who is solving a case.

"I am your captain, I can do whatever I want", Sean huffs. "Lu, can you answer me honestly this one time on this one question?"

That makes Luhan focused. He looks up to his superior to see him small eyes concerned. He's worrying too much about Luhan, like he couldn't take care of himself.

"How many hours?"

"...How many hours what?" Luhan is lost.

"How many hours did you sleep?"

Oh. That's a tough question. Are his eye bags so evident on his face? Are they so dark? His eyes are really swollen, even if he himself doesn't notice it.

"Uhm... I think I went to sleep after midnight. Like, maybe at two. And then I woke up to the sunrise, when the neighbor started his car to go to work." He looks at the back wall when thinking back to that moment. Sean narrows his eyes.

"So you slept, what, four hours?" he wonders with a worried tone in his voice, shaking his head. "Luhan, that's not enough. Please, can you go see a doctor? A psychologist? The police psychologist?"

"I don't need any of that, Sean, you know I am just fi-"

"You are not goddamn fine", the captain raises his voice, much to Luhan's surprise. It's always scary when he's raising his voice. Luhan doesn't always know is he more like a son to Sean or his coworker.

"I don't need any of the services."

Sean walks to him. He's determined to see something to make Luhan understand. The cop looks up to him with big eyes that are sleepy. He has his coffee on his hand that he's slowly sipping to keep his eyes open.

"Do you sleep next to Sehun every night?"

"Yes, sir, I do."

"When was the last time you had sex?"

Luhan looks at the back wall and then turns back to his desk to look at his reports. He starts organizing them, ignoring the one next to him. He doesn't want to open about his and Sehun's sex life, especially when there is no sex life!

"Luhan I need answers."

He takes a sip of his drink and keeps ignoring.

"Sex is a great way to relax and relieve stress. And that's exactly what you need. Try and make Sehun be more open about it."

Coldness. Luhan feels chills down his spine. The presence of someone powerful enters the building. He doesn't even look at his captain when making his way to his door and looking at a criminal his coworker is taking to the interrogating room.

"Who is that?" he wonders. The chills...

Sean gives up on the topic of Luhan's non-existent sex life.

"Ask from Kang. He should know." Without hesitation, Luhan makes his way to his coworker, the partner of the other officer who took the criminal to the interrogation room.

Luhan pokes Kang's side and tries to get his attention, succeeding. The tall man turns around to look down at the cop who's much smaller and younger than him. His influence however, is much bigger than his. Luhan doesn't really like Kang because he makes gay jokes about him when they're at the gym. Ahn was always his favorite... but he's still recovering from the shooting accident and can't work out with them.

"Who's that guy your partner's interrogating?" he asks. Even if Kang looks down at him, he doesn't feel small nor weak.

"And why do you want to know that, faggot?"

Oh, yes, that's just a _nickname_ Kang has given Luhan. He's wise enough to ignore it nowadays.

"Don't use such immature terms, Kang", Sean chimes in. Oh, but the captain will always stand up for Luhan. He's just the captain's pet. Kang huffs when looking at Sean, then back at Luhan who didn't care about what either of them said.

"I want to know who he is and how you found him. That's all."

"We found him at the airport, transporting some illegal stuff to France. We're not sure if he's really the maker of the crime or is it about some bigger things, but he did have a gun with him that's registered in France."

"That's why we have Luhan", Sean points out. Kang rolls his eyes. "To interrogate the suspects to know the whole truth."

"Oh man, I wish I was gay too so the captain could spoil me", he chirps in a sarcastic way. "Why do you protect him so much? Does he remind you of your _daughter_?" And now he raises his pinky. Luhan tried to keep calm but now he can't take it anymore. He pushes Kang's chest while scrunching his face in anger.

Kang pushes him back, making him drop his coffee to the ground for the cleaners to clean it. Luhan should hold back, but he wants to show the other who's the boss here.

"Come on, princess", Kang adds fuel to the flames. So Luhan pushes him and uses force so Kang falls down on the ground on his butt. He's a bit mesmerized about how strong it actually felt. Sean is now holding Luhan back before he jumps on his coworker to beat his face and strangle him to death.

"Breathe, Luhan, breathe." Another officer helps Kang stand up.

"You're quite strong, princess."

"Don't you dare fucking call me a princess you cunt", Luhan hisses under his breath. Sean pats his back.

"You two, knock it off. If you want to know more about this suspect, then come here with me", the captain says calmly when leading his favorite cop away from the other who he doesn't favor that much. Luhan keeps glancing behind himself to throw a few insults to his coworker, and to receive as many.

Men. They never grow up.

Sean takes the cop to the room where is only a big window on the wall to see into the interrogation room. In the other room, it looks like a mirror. Of course the suspects know about it; everyone knows about it. They just don't know who it is who's listening to them.

When the suspect speaks, his breath is freezing. It's weird. It's a bit colder in the interrogation room but not that cold. Luhan narrows his eyes when focusing on the suspect. There is something hidden in his eyes.

Sean looks at Luhan with a raised eyebrow when the latter is observing the interrogation. His mind is now far away from Kang.

"Do you see anything?" the captain asks. Luhan doesn't even glance at him. "Something in him?"

"...I'm trying really hard to see..." he states.

The cop interrogating the suspect walks away from the room and Luhan takes this as his chance. Sean doesn't even stop him, just goes to his own office.

Luhan slams the door close in the interrogation room. He uses his force to lock the door to the room and the other room and makes sure no one is behind the mirror. The suspect sitting at the chair looks dumbfounded when seeing a cop act like this.

Luhan slams his hands against the table and makes an intense eye contact with the suspect who's looking at him with eyes wide as plates.

"I can't believe that someone like you is on the same side with me", he hisses. The suspect raises and eyebrow at this. Dealing with Tao and Kris was already hard for Luhan, but what about this guy then?

"...Oh...? You're one from the forces?"

"Of course I am! And so are you! How fucking many people have you killed by freezing them to death?!"

The suspect smirks a bit when sitting back at his chair. He swings his legs teasingly.

"...I think you're being rude. My name is Kim Minseok. It's a privilege to finally meet a person from the forces. What's your name?"

Luhan takes a calming breath. He tries to hold in his anger so not everyone would hear him screaming.

"...Luhan... My name is Luhan... I can read minds, so I know you're a fucking wanted murderer in France."

Minseok shakes his head and sighs, chuckling a little bit.

"...To your question", he starts with a glare. "I do not count the number of my victims."

"You fucking bastard." Luhan clenches his fists in anger when looking at the man with disgust. Compared to Tao and Kris, this guy is the worst.

"What? You don't like me? I didn't know there would be a cop on my side", Minseok now stands up to mirror Luhan's position. "So I don't like you either."

"What the hell were you doing in France anyways?"

Minseok's face softens a little bit. It becomes sad.

"The people who brutally murdered my little sister years ago live in France." That's when Luhan's eyes widen open.

They are not so different after all.


	26. Cold

Luhan pinches his nose bridge. He's walking in a circle in his office, thinking about the suspect in the other room. He's not okay with this. He's not okay at all. Sean is sitting at his desk and looking at him with concern.

"Did you find something about the suspect? Is he the one we should arrest?" he questions with a determined look in his eyes.

Luhan doesn't know what to reply. His head is starting to feel a little bit dizzy from all the walking in a circle. He has to keep in mind that he can't let Minseok go, he's one of the forces. But he cannot leave with him, the other is a suspect for God's sake!

A fucking suspect to drug dealing! When in reality, he's killed dozens of people in France for the sake of his...

...His little sister.

Luhan sighs deeply when thinking it over. His head is starting to ache. No matter was it for his little sister, he's still a murderer and he cannot fucking deal with it.

"You do know that you kind of disobeyed the rules by doing a private interrogation at the station. You know the recorder is there for a reason, of course you know, you've been doing this job for a long time."

"Yes, yes, I know", the cop replies with an annoyed huff. Sean narrows his eyes. Why is Luhan being like this anyways? He has no idea, but the other's mind is filled with uneasiness.

"So? What did you find out?" Sean is folding his arms on his chest while looking at Luhan, waiting for an explanation that he isn't getting before the cop comes up with a white lie. He needs an alibi.

He stops when the walking almost makes him faint. He looks at the captain in the eyes with furrowed eyebrows. Sean is not impressed by his intimidating look, he knows this Luhan.

"The case was not his, and the gun that he had was given to him with it. The case was given to him with a promise of a reward, he was told that he would get paid if he took this to someone here in Seoul. So, what we know, is that there is someone here in Seoul who wanted the drugs."

That's the best lie he could come up with. Sean doesn't question, because he really has no idea how Luhan does this mind reading. He has no idea how the ability works and how the hell is he so good at it, and Luhan won't explain him either. He just claims that he's paying attention more than other people are and that's kind of like being a clairvoyant.

The captain nods his head a few times, he never questions what Luhan has come up with in his mind. He knows the younger is never mistaken, so he keeps it up to the other. He jumps off the desk and is off to the door.

"Very well. I don't see a reason why should we keep him in here for any longer. I should tell Kang myself that he can set the suspect free."

"What about me?" Luhan asks with big eyes. Sean turns to look at him at the doorway while leaning on it. "Me and Sehun moved to a bigger house we're sharing with a few friends of ours, and it's brand new so we should buy some new furniture and decorations... So, uhh..."

He doesn't know how to end the sentence, so Sean just waves his hand a few times when making his way to the others' desks.

"Go on, you must be a part of that fun. Don't suppose you would let them decorate the house how they want, why would you?"

"Oh you get me so well, Sean", Luhan says, over exaggerating his reaction. Sean laughs it off. "I can set the suspect free, so Kang doesn't have to worry about it. Can you tell him that?"

"Sure. I don't understand why would you want to do that for that bastard", Sean is someone who always has Luhan's back, especially with people like Kang, "but I don't question. Go ahead."

Luhan smiles to him a bit when following him out the door, but to the interrogation room where Minseok is still sitting at the desk. He's just looking at himself from the mirror when the cop opens the door.

"You're free to go", he says. Minseok looks at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm free? And no further questioning?"

"Follow me and I'll explain everything."

Minseok gets up. Everyone at the station could feel the uneasy, cold aura between them and their glares cannot be unnoticed.

Someone has to lead the suspect out of the station, and of course Luhan takes the honor of that since he's going home anyways. When he looks behind himself, he sees Sean talking to Kang who then starts to point at him.

"You're letting that fag have a day off?! Why, because his boyfriend is mentally unstable?!" he yells. Luhan glares daggers at him. Sean tries to calm him down.

The cop notices the way Minseok's eyes widen to this sentence. Luhan rolls his eyes when leading the man outside.

"What was all that about?" he wonders when none of Luhan's coworkers are at the hearing distance. Luhan looks all around himself. One of the younger officers is out the station.

"Where would you like to get a ride to?" Minseok looks at the fake smile on Luhan's lips and then glances at the other cop there.

"I'm not staying for very long, I think, I'm going to France soon so if you just dropped me off at any hotel, that would be nice." Minseok seems to get the play Luhan's playing and hops on with it. Great, they already have a mutual understanding. The cop smiles, nods his head and opens the door for himself. The suspect opens the other door and sits down at the other seat.

Luhan starts the engine, and when the younger officer is back in the station, he drops his smile.

"That was my coworker who likes to make jokes about my sexual orientation."

"Oh", Minseok sounds like he got what Luhan means. "I understand. My friends tease me about it too. Or, I don't know can I call them my friends, like I just want to rip their throats off when they tease me about my pansexuality."

Luhan can't even act surprised. Every other member of the forces has been queer too, so Minseok swinging that way too is no surprise.

"Yeah, every time we go to the gym he calls me a fucking princess and acts all masculine."

"Haha, maybe he likes you and can't get used to the fact that you're actually a man who can do on his own and not needing a fucker like him to hang on to."

"I almost threw up by the thought of that. Please, don't make me drive this car to a wall."

"But I really get what you mean, one of my so called friends helps me to lift the weights", Minseok rolls his eyes and Luhan utters a laughter. "Like, I lift more than he does!"

"I lift more than my coworker does too! And he's older than me!"

"Those bastards expect us to be some sweet humble flowerboys because we're not straight like they are! So annoying."

"Totally."

Luhan almost chokes on his spit when he realizes he's having a lively conversation with a murderer. But hey, he killed for a good reason, right? It was brutal, but... it was for his little sister. It's acceptable.

No. Luhan must make some sense out of his messed up thoughts. He can't be having a lively conversation with this piece of human trash.

"How long were you in France?"

"Uhm, 5 years, actually. I know the language and can speak it almost fluently. Some ladies really liked me cause I'm Asian, I just identified myself more as Xiumin than Minseok, so they thought I was Chinese. They don't even know the difference between Korean and Chinese, so the fuckers didn't even question that I don't know any Mandarin."

Luhan hums a bit to his statement.

"I'm going to take you to my house. Me and 5 other members of the forces live there."

"Five?" Minseok turns to him in amazement. "Wow... So you've really started to gather up together."

"You bet. By the way, I know Mandarin."

***

The rest of the drive carried on with Minseok asking about the forces, and Luhan telling everything he knows. Sadly, Minseok didn't have anything new to tell him.

Luhan tries to bear with the idea of living in the same place with a murderer. Minseok killed people with his ability, froze them to death. It doesn't sit well with him.

He walks to the door. It's almost 2 in the afternoon. Keys jingle as he opens the lock, to surprise all the others with him coming in with a new person. Minseok smiles widely to the five who are sitting in the living room, already happy to see Luhan and get to the department store.

"Hi", he greets and waves his hand once. "I'm Kim Minseok."

"I found him from the station and he's the one who controls frost", Luhan explains to the amused ones. He looks at the man who's now checking out his boyfriend. Oh, no. He must make clear to Minseok that Sehun is Luhan's boyfriend, and no, he doesn't share unlike Tao wanted to.

At least that's how Luhan feels like.

All the five of them tell their names, ages, where are they from and how they got there and what's their position in the forces. After that, Luhan just smiles to all of them.

"Are we now going to the department store?" Tao asks excitedly. The cop nods his head a few times.

"Yes, but first I need to change out of my uniform." He offers a gentle smile when taking his clothes from a suitcase that's laying on the living room floor. He notices how Minseok has no idea what is going on, he seems really lost by all of this. "We just moved here... So, as you can see, we don't have any kind of furniture. We have rooms for all the members, so you don't have to worry about that."

Minseok nods his head a bit as he fixes his look on Sehun who's silently leaning against the wall and drifting in his own world, forgetting about this one he's standing in. He's paying attention to the boy's tall and skinny features and his beautiful face, his lean shoulders, long skinny legs and that booty there.

He licks his lips when looking there. Luhan is staring at him with a bad eye and he feels something flip in his stomach.

"Please", he grits through his teeth. "I can hear you."

Minseok quickly turns to look at him to raise an eyebrow at his statement.

"Sehun is _my_ boyfriend." Woah, possessive, Minseok raises his hands on his chest and shows that he's not coming on to his territory. They talked to each other so quietly no one is asking about what they were talking about.

Luhan sends the final glare to him before going to change in the bathroom. He wants to be quick so he doesn't have to let Sehun be alone anymore.

Sehun is just standing against the wall, wondering when can he embrace his boyfriend again. He doesn't even see any other men in this universe, there is just Luhan, in the end of a dark hallway, he's the light.

Kai nudges on his sleeve. He flashes a smile to the older one who's trying to look deadly serious. He succeeds, Sehun is a bit taken aback.

"Are you alright? You seem a little off", he notes. Sehun keeps smiling, nodding to his question.

"I am feeling alright. I just... I just want to be with Luhan already and all the things we still need to do before I can cuddle with him in bed just makes me feel frustrated. I want to be with him..."

"Oh you", Kai elbows his chest to which he lets out a huff. Kai is smiling widely however, Sehun is being too cute for his own good.

***

It's sheer luck that Yixing has a driving license. Either way they would have been screwed - Tao and Kris don't have license, Sehun didn't think he needs one in the city when studying at the university, Kai didn't have a chance to get one and this new guy Minseok who's so lost at what's happening, only has a license in France.

No one must see the cop and the suspect spending time together at a department store with five other men. Now how would Luhan ever explain that to his captain? So he's wearing a black hoodie to cover himself.

Luhan and Minseok are staying out of the fun. Minseok is taking a glance at him every once in a while to see him utterly bored and tired. The five men are going through all the furniture they need in their new home.

"So..." he starts, earning the cop's attention. "Is it really okay that I come to live with you guys? I mean, this is a bit all of a sudden and you're already acting like I was a part of your... group."

To this, Luhan utters a laughter.

"Well aren't you? You're a part of the forces and this is where you have to be, you have no other options. We do not expect you to know or understand anything, this is how it is and this is what you have to get used to."

"It's all a bit hazard to me..."

"Being a member of the forces you mean?" Luhan thinks. "Being a part is your responsibil--"

"I meant that you take me to live with you immediately when I get out of the police station."

"Tell me", the other starts when turning to point his look at him. "Do you have a place to go?"

Minseok shakes his head. He's as amused as anyone would be in this situation.

"Exactly. So you shut up and let the babies do the shopping."

"Babies? Really?"

"I'm the oldest of us anyways." Luhan looks at each of them with a happy smile. Sehun is just staring at him when he happens to find his gaze. The younger smiles happily to him, and quickly he can run to him to catch in a quick hug. Luhan doesn't even have a chance to wrap his arms around him too when Kai is already pulling the other away from him. Sehun frowns and hits him slightly.

Minseok raises an eyebrow at Luhan and his lovey dovey boyfriend. The other likes to boast about him, so of course a smug smirk takes over his face.

"He's mine and only mine. We've been together for almost four months. I love him", he exclaims proudly. Minseok smiles a bit to his weirdness.

"When are you born?"

Okay, Luhan wasn't ready to change the subject. He wants to talk about Sehun more.

"20th of April 1990."

"Oh", Minseok chuckles. "Guess you're my baby too then." Luhan looks at him stupidly but is quick to realize what he meant by that.

"What? When are you born then?" His eyes are as wide as plates as Minseok is smiling proudly.

"I am almost a month older than you."

Now Luhan almost curses in his mind. Fuck. He wanted to be the oldest. He wanted to be the one everyone leans on. The one everyone finds closure from.

"Fuck", is the only thing he can reply.


	27. Pump

So the furniture found their right places in the house. Luhan is sipping coffee on the white big ass couch in the living room while draping an arm around his boyfriend who's happy to cuddle against him on the soft cushions. It's been a week since Minseok came in to live with them. He's still got some things to get used to, and one of them is definitely the amount of fluff before his eyes whenever he sees Sehun and Luhan together, but Tao and Kris are hardly any better. They're having their moment everywhere.

The TV is on. Some things don't have to change, and Sehun doesn't want watching TV with Luhan ever stop. Their legs are tangled together, his arms are around Luhan in a comfortable way while he's snuggling against his chest.

The warmth never stops to mesmerize him. He feels like this is where he belongs. The love of his life, the boyfriend for four months, and hopefully for a long long while.

"So, when would you want to practice, huh?" Luhan suddenly asks from Sehun who immediately shakes his head while snuggling against him tighter. It's too late in the evening already. The older lets out a chuckle. "Not today, sweetie, I mean, look at the time."

"I wasn't going to practice anyways."

"Aish, don't be so worried about it. We need to master your power before you screw things over."

"I'm not gonna screw things over."

"Sure, honey", Luhan chuckles to which Sehun slightly slaps his chest. "I'm going to the gym with Sean and other cops tomorrow, you wanna come with us?"

Sehun thinks about it for a bit. Going to the gym would most likely mean that Luhan's going to work out and lift weights. Oh boy, how hot would Luhan look while lifting weights when Sehun was sitting on top of him, looking like he was pushing against his body from under him?

No, no, Sehun must shake away thoughts like that. But he can't lie to himself forever. He wants Luhan and wants to let himself dream, but it's hard with the past that he has. He wants to be more with Luhan, give his all to him, but... He can't.

"I would love to come with you... Are you sure the others won't mind me?" he wonders with big eyes. Luhan smiles warmly before placing a kiss on the tip of his nose, earning a cute smile from the younger.

"I want you to hang out with Sean and meet some of my coworkers. It would be a nice change for awhile. Sadly Ahn won't be there though..."

Sehun nods a few times, this time more sure about it. Sean is one of the nicest straight guys he's ever met, someone who is important to Luhan and who supports their relationship. He's the perfect best friend Luhan could have.

He's not so sure about the others. He guesses Luhan wouldn't be their friend if they were some kind of racists or homophobes.

***

The reality is always a bit different from what you'd expect. Sehun did not expect anyone like Kang showing up in the gym. The guy smirks to Luhan who walks to the gym hand in hand with his boyfriend.

"And since when have we brought our dates to the gym?" Kang laughs when he makes his way to the changing room. Of course he's already changed, but he still does some things in there. Luhan grits his teeth, but Sehun blinks a few times in confusion. "There's a reason why they stay in the kitchen."

Luhan seems like he's fuming. Sehun could see some smoke coming from his ears.

"You son of a-"

"Okay, boys, that's enough", Sean comes up to Luhan and stops him from running to the changing room and ripping Kang's throat open. "Kang, treat Sehun nicely or I will have you clean the whole station alone."

The other cop comes from the changing room with too confident look on his face. He leans on the doorway and wraps arms on his chest, making Luhan want to punch his fist into his face and hard.

"Sehun? That this princess' name?" He walks up to Sehun, looking down on him. Sehun doesn't much appreciate it as he takes a step back and Luhan walks to him, blocking him from the monster that is Kang. He's even taller than Sehun, but even if Luhan is shorter than both of them, he can show off to the tallest one. He's the most powerful anyways. "Wow. Well done Luhan. You're dating a victim. I guess it didn't even take you much since this poor princess was in need of his prince who would love him, tell him that _there's nothing to worry about_ and _he won't touch you anymore_. Pathetic, Luhan. You could've done better."

You could see Luhan's face turning red.

"I'll fucking rip your head off!" And so he is about to make his threat alive, but Sean keeps him tightly in place.

The mirrors shake a bit and that's when Sehun has to place a hand on Luhan's back to calm him down.

"Calm down, Luhan. You don't have to care about it", he says in a calming voice. Luhan breathes heavily, trying hard not to get on the other cop. He does walk a bit towards him, but Kang stands his ground.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with", Luhan says when poking his chest with his finger. Kang looks down on him and even dares to utter an evil laughter.

"I know you little bastard", he says and that's when Luhan can't take it anymore. He pushes the other officer's chest and the other actually falls down on the ground because, you know, the force.

Kang looks up at him with raised eyebrows. Sehun and Sean keep Luhan now on his place so he wouldn't kill the other.

"You're quite tough, princess", he exclaims and gets up, wiping the dirt off of him. "...Weird. You pushed my chest but I felt like my whole body was pushed."

Luhan huffs and rolls his eyes, "You should just practice your balance."

Kang utters a laughter. Sean and Sehun glance at each other, not sure of what's the relationship really between these two. Friends? They don't seem such fancy as friends. Frienemy?

The officer leaves them alone and other cops come to greet Sehun who just smiles widely and says hi to everyone. There are more reasons why the other cops think Luhan is the captain's pet. He can date a victim. Well, isn't he the captain's pet? He's Sean's favorite for sure.

Sehun does want to work out with them, and he even has the proper kind of clothing. He's observing what are the others doing before his boyfriend comes to him, takes his hand in his and leads him to a mattress on the floor.

"Let's do the routine together", he smiles widely when forcing Sehun down to sit on the mattress. He takes a hold of Sehun's knees and keeps him on his place. "First. Sit-ups."

Sehun nods a few times before doing just as his boyfriend wants him to do, the other smiling at him and staring at his face as he goes down and back up.

"Stop staring at me you know that's really awkward", the younger huffs, but silently. Luhan blushes a bit and chuckles.

"I'm sorry."

He tries to look away but he can't keep his eyes off of Sehun. The latter rolls his eyes and sighs deeply, when staying up and placing a kiss on Luhan's lips to keep him focused. He just chuckles at it and neither of them notice all the other cops staring at them, some whispering to each other, _"I'm jealous."_

After warming up, Luhan goes to the bench to lift weights. Sehun keeps his eyes fixed on the other. He lays down on the bench, under the weights, his legs on either sides of the bench. He's sweating already from the warming up. After all, they were doing it quite a while and giving each other kisses and all that too cute and fluffy things that the others were staring at. The couple didn't even notice it. But most of them do not mind. They're just a bit jealous, they're either single or their girlfriends and wives don't like to work out.

One of the greatest things of being a homosexual is that you can go anywhere with your loved one.

Luhan lifts the weights. His mouth forms a thin line and he keeps looking as he keeps looking at the bar. His eyes as small black orbs.

Sehun doesn't have any self-control at the moment, all he can think of is _'Damn Luhan is so hot.'_

And so he walks to him, sits on his lower body and places his hands flat on his hips. Luhan blinks a few times in confusion as he stares at the metal bar. He slowly turns his look down at his boyfriend who has tilted his head on the side.

"Uhm", is his reply. Sehun blinks slowly and smiles playfully.

"I'm making sure that you don't kill yourself by dropping that on your neck."

"How considerate. But I really don't need your help--"

Sehun has already took another weight from the floor and added it to the bar. And so Luhan is trying to keep the weights in the air, but now it's a little bit harder.

"You're cheating, honey", Sehun points out when Luhan keeps pumping the weights up and down, sweat dripping from his face. Sehun is biting his own lips as he's staring at his boyfriend. His body is shivering. He's sweaty. His biceps are pulsating... Oh God. And his face is red... He's breathing heavily...

So is Sehun at the moment, cause he can't breathe at all. Damn, he's sure he's gonna die anytime soon!

Luhan puts away the weights to fix his look on his boyfriend. When seeing his eyes full of lust, he's shocked. And when looking down, oh boy, Sehun has a huge tent.

"Woah woah woah... Did I do that?" he asks in disbelief, in a silent voice.

At times, he's been sure that Sehun's sex drive is absolute zero, heck maybe it's on minus. He has never seen him hard, not once in these six months. (Okay once but that's like forever ago.) And they've been sleeping in the same bed! Now, now he sees him hard?

"...L-Luhan... I-I..."

Sehun's face is flushed. At this moment, no one else is looking at them except Kang. Disgust is written on his face.

"Hey, princess", he walks up to Luhan and slaps him slightly. Luhan is not amused. "No sodomy in public places."

Luhan is totally not amused. He leans on his arms, but his eyes are looking at Sehun who's very ashamed of himself. Why did he have to grow hard now? Out of all the places? Out of all the possible times?

"I wonder if you've done it. You know, in public. I bet you love it how weak he is."

The mirrors shake a bit. Sehun rubs his arm soothingly.

Before he has time to think about it, his boyfriend pushes him on the ground and he falls on his butt, letting out a gasp as he falls on the hard floor. Luhan pushes the other cop's chest. Kang pushes him back but Luhan pushes him against the wall so tightly he can't move. Even so, he keeps looking at the smaller one with cold eyes.

"You can say all you want about me", he intimidates. "But if you say one bad word that includes Sehun, I will personally cut your balls off, then force them down your throat and watch you choke on them."

Sehun gets up before anyone else has time to react.

"Stop", his voice quivers. Every single one of them is looking at the three. "Stop fighting."

He grasps the back of Luhan's shirt, yet the other doesn't give him any attention. He's fixed on the angry thoughts about Kang.

"You said that no one would mind about me coming here. If it bothers you so much then I'll go."

Luhan is about to turn around, but Sehun runs away to the changing room. Kang looks at the ground, a bit ashamed of himself.

Sean hits Kang's back once. "Now look at what you did. What did Sehun ever do to you?"

Luhan glares at the other cop. His eyes are flaming.

"You crossed the line, Kang."

He makes his way to the changing room where Sehun is sitting on the bench, hugging his knees and crying. He sits down next to him, trying to soothe his pain a little bit by caressing his hair. The younger's body is shivering.

Together they could hear Sean scolding Kang for being so rude at Sehun.

"I'm sorry", Luhan speaks up. "I have become obsessed over you, and so I can't let anyone talk rudely to you, not even as a joke."

"It's not about fighting or obsession", Sehun sniffles when raising his head to look at his boyfriend, the other's eyes filled with worry. "It's about not being welcome."

"What?" This is outrageous! How could Sehun ever say that to him? "You are welcome here! Everyone loves you! Well except Kang but nobody loves him."

Sehun shakes his head a few times as he utters a laughter.

As they try to figure things out, they hear steps from the door, making their way to them. Luhan furrows his eyebrows as Sehun just stares at the man with big eyes. This is the first time Luhan has seen Kang looking like that - legitimately sorry.

"Sehun, I..."

His voice is a bit stuck in his throat. The other cop kicks his foot. Kang winces in pain.

"I'm... I'm sorry... You know... My jokes are sometimes rude and I don't know where the line is. I like to tease Luhan-" The said person rolls his eyes. "-and so I say things I don't really think about. He's an actual cute potato."

Luhan kicks his foot again.

Sehun chuckles and stands up from the bench. He smiles to Kang before taking Luhan's hand in his and leading him back to the gym.

"Really? That's all you needed to hear?"

Sehun nods rapidly. "Now I feel welcome." After making a scene.


	28. Flicker

Sehun walks in the hallways of the local store as he's wondering, what should they eat today? He's grocery shopping on his own as no one wanted to come with him. Well, he's alright with it. Luhan would have come with him, but he's at work.

He sighs as he takes a pack of tea in his shopping basket. At least he won't be the one making the food. Luhan likes to cook, and so he likes to make food together with Yixing. It's fun, mostly, but Sehun would like to be a part of that fun. He'll be totally lost if Luhan isn't there to make food for him.

There aren't many people here today as he notices. He looks all around himself but there seems to be only old ladies. It's fine for him, old ladies make him feel rather safe.

"Hello, Sehun."

That voice.

The said man freezes on his place and looks at the products in the shelf with horror. That was just his imagination, right? He's not here, is he?

"You don't seem like you're in the mood to talk."

He doesn't dare to look at where the voice comes from. No, it cannot be him. He tries to move, or at least breathe, but it's a hard task. With an effort he turns around to walk away, but the man takes a hold of his arm and he lets out a gasp.

It's not his imagination.

"Here's the plan", the man starts as he forces Sehun to turn around. His eyes are already filled with tears and terror as he sees the man. Those black eyes and that ugly stubble... Those black circles under his eyes and... the disgusting scent of alcohol... "You come with me to my new apartment, this time without Dmitri, and do everything I tell you to. Is that clear, hm?"

Sehun wants to shake his head and run away as fast as he can, but as he tries to shake his hand off of the other's hold, the grip just tightens. He wants to leave now and find Luhan as soon as possible.

"Come on, sweetie."

No, not sweetie. The man takes the shopping basket off of Sehun's hand and places it on the ground. Then he takes the other's hand in his own and starts leading him away from the store.

Sehun looks down. His throat hurts as he bursts in tears.

"P-please", his voice is silent and the other hardly hears it. "Richard, let me go..."

"Stop whining."

"Th-there are people here, they will call the cops."

To this Richard huffs, takes Sehun into a small restroom and pushes him against the wall. He throws the door close after him and locks it. Sehun gasps as he tries to get off of the other man's tight grip but his whole body feels limb and his mind doesn't focus on anything else than the terror and panic.

Richard takes him into a choke hold and the other tries to break free before realizing that he's way weaker than the other man.

"I've been looking for you everywhere", he whispers. Sehun feels goosebumps on his skin because Richard's lips are on his ear. "It's not about the money, it's not about do you have the power or not... This one is personal."

He slaps his hand on Sehun's mouth when sliding his other hand down the taller one's body, down to his crotch. Sehun tries to squirm away and scream and cry, but it won't help. Richard pushes his hand inside the other's pants and moves it around.

He smirks before getting off of the other, taking his hand in his and leading away from the restroom. Sehun is now hiding his face, out of embarrassment and tears.

He wants to run away, but Richard leads him down to the streets.

"I live nearby. Won't be too far to walk from here."

Sehun looks up at the skies. It's so dark yet it's day. He almost trips on his own feet. It's cold. He keeps whining.

He takes his phone from his pocket and calls Luhan, but puts it on mute so he won't hear what Luhan has to say. If he replies... He better reply and save him.

"R-Richard... Please... Let me go... I promise I won't tell anyone..."

"You won't tell anyone, because no one ever visits me. And you will do everything I tell you to do, is that clear?"

He keeps silent, but as he does, Richard turns around to look at him with deadly eyes. Sehun freezes on his place and nods rapidly.

"Okay, okay, I will do everything you say! Just don't hurt me..."

He turns around and keeps walking. Sehun prays to heavens that Luhan actually heard the call and is now already looking for him.

The apartment Richard lives in nowadays is in an apartment building, in the fourth floor. There's no one in the lobby.

"Walk", the man tells him to go up the stairs first. Sehun hesitates for a bit, before the guy pokes his butt.

Sehun quickly turns around and tries to make a run for the door, but it has to stay as a faraway dream as Richard takes him in his arms and raises on his shoulder. Sehun hits his back and kicks his feet and cries loudly, if someone would hear him.

"Now now honey. Be a good boy and shut up."

He pats his butt a couple of times but Sehun cries louder, trying to squirm away harder. In the second floor is a little girl at the door to her apartment. She looks at Sehun who looks at her pleadingly.

Then the girl's mother comes to the door and takes a hold of her little girl and they make their way out of the building. The little girl wonders, "Why is he crying? Is the other man going to hurt him?"

"Just ignore it, honey."

Sehun has forgot how careless people can be. Why don't people notice that he's in pain and needs help?

"Help me", he tries to beg from the little girl who keeps pulling her mother's sleeve. But then they're already out of reach, in the next floor. Sehun keeps crying and kicking and hitting.

In the fourth floor where the man lives, Richard opens the lock to his apartment and throws Sehun in there. Before the younger boy can run away, is the other man at it again, pushing him against the wall and caressing his cheek.

"Please", his voice shudders. "Let me go."

Richard holds his jaw tightly with one hand, Sehun could almost hear his bones crushing and tears drip on the other's fingers. His eyes are dark and filled with lust.

And his apartment is really messy, but Sehun is more focused on the mess right in front of him than the mess behind the other.

"I have all new things for you. Something special, since you're the most beautiful creature I've ever seen."

Should Sehun feel honored about this? He wants to fall down and cry but his jaw hurts too much. But then the pain is on his scalp as Richard pulls him from his hair to the bedroom. He doesn't have a choice but to follow him.

Richard throws him on the bed and ties his right hand on the headboard. Just then Sehun's phone starts ringing. Fuck. Luhan must have hung up and is now calling back. Sehun tries to keep the phone in his pocket when the man gets up on him, stuffing his hand in his pocket to take the phone from him.

"You bastard thought you would be saved?" he asks as he opens the window and throws the phone out in the streets. Sehun tries to hide himself. The man walks to him and opens a small laptop next to the bed, sitting on a chair.

When hearing his own pleading voice, Sehun's eyes widen. He tries to block his ears.

"No one is going to save you. You're mine now."

He clicks the next video on the laptop. Sehun stares at the other with horror.

"I saved all the tapes. Even the ones that I recorded with my own camera. Everything. Is. Right. Here."

He grabs Sehun's ankle and presses him against the mattress when climbing on top of him and wrapping his hands around his neck. Sehun tries to kick him away, but nothing seems to come out of it.

"Hush. You'll be together with me, forever."

"Let me go. I-I won't tell anyone. Please." He kicks harder but that's when Richard also chokes him harder, his sobbing becoming just attempts of drawing in a breath.

"Yeah. You won't tell anyone cause you're here with me. And if you do tell anyone I'm going to hurt them too."

Sehun keeps his hand around Richard's, begging him to stop but just as he's falling unconscious, the man stops and hits him. It doesn't matter that he's panicking and crying loudly. 

Richard gets off of him, places the laptop on the chair and plays Sehun some videos he recorded back in when Sehun still was their prisoner. The boy blocks his ears and closes his eyes tightly shut when the man smirks and goes to the other room, he's about to bring something for the boy.

It's too silent and the video too loud. Sehun tries to reach for it with his hand, to stop the video, but it's too far away. He tries to reach it with his foot, but it's just not near enough for him to reach it.

He hears the traffic outside when Richard comes into the room.

Richard walks to the bed with sex toys Sehun can't even name. He looks at them with horror, what does he want from him? Why with these toys?

"P-please", he begs when trying to squirm away. "D-don't hurt me."

"I'm sorry, the first time we met was kind of tragic. I had never felt anything for a guy and it was new for me, so I didn't know what was I doing. I must have hurt you real bad. This time you can bleed less."

That doesn't help Sehun at all. When the man touches his foot he kicks him in the face, resulting to only make him angrier. He grabs Sehun's shin so tightly it will leave a mark. He spreads the other's legs and places himself between them, looking down at the younger with mean eyes.

That's when he punches Sehun's face, making the latter's lips bleed from crashing with his teeth. Sehun turns his head away and whines, he wants away.

But the door is broke down before Richard can do anything else to him. Sehun thanks God in his mind when hearing _"Police!"_ from the door.

Running steps reach the bedroom. Sehun looks at the door where he notices his fuming boyfriend, and the lights starting to flicker. His face is red from anger and he doesn't hesitate to grab the man off of Sehun.

Luhan pushes the man against the wall with force, punches him in the face several times before the other gives him back and kicks his stomach. Luhan falls back a bit, but only a bit, he's too angry.

So he throws the laptop off of the chair and breaks the chair against the man's body. He keeps hitting it several times, now the other on the ground covering himself and pleading Luhan to stop but the officer claiming that he's just getting started.

And the lights still flickering. Sehun watches in horror as his boyfriend almost beats the other guy to death.

Before the captain runs into the room and pulls the officer off of the other guy.

"Stop! Luhan!" he insists when pulling him away. When he does calm down a bit, they hear Sehun's sobbing, Luhan's and Richard's panting and the noises from the laptop. Luhan slowly crawls to it and opens it, only to find a video playing. Disgust and anger takes over his face and the laptop in front of him shuts down with his force and he breaks it into pieces.

Sean handcuffs the other man while Luhan walks to the bed to free his crying boyfriend. When he's free he closes Luhan into a tight hug and cries against his shoulder while the older hugs him back.

The lights slowly stopping from flickering.

"Where is he?" Luhan asks when turning a bit away from Sehun, to talk to the suspect. Sehun hugs his side and tugs on his shirt.

"So this bitch has a boyfriend."

"I swear I'm going to kill you slowly and painfully", Luhan grits through his teeth. Sean raises his hand as a sign to calm down. How could he calm down? "Where the fuck is he?"

"Where is who?"

"Dmitri."

"Oh... I don't know where he is. Away from me. I got fired."

"No wonder you filthy pig."

Richard glares at the officer who just wants to rip his head off.

"Okay, we're going to the station. Are you going to take the other car?" Sean asks as he's about to take Richard away from the fuming cop and his weeping boyfriend. Sehun is shaking uncontrollably and he's having hard time to breathe.

"Yeah. We'll go with Kang. You take him away from Sehun", Luhan explains when trying to raise the other on his feet. Sean nods his head and takes the suspect away while the officer helps his boyfriend to walk.

"...H-how did you find me?" the boy asks with a shaky voice. Luhan looks at him sadly while caressing his cheek.

"...A little girl told an officer walking in the streets. He called us in the station immediately."

Sehun smiles to himself. Damn that little girl saved his life after all. Child's innocence saves people while adults just save themselves. She's the real hero.

But later in life she will learn how to save herself too, instead of others. She will be careless like her mother.

"...I'm just glad you're here with me..." Sehun cries when they're walking down the stairs. Luhan lets him support on him.

In the police car, Kang doesn't have anything to say. He's just silent and watches as the two get in the car, the older taking a good care of his love. And he even smiles a little bit to the affectionate moment there in the backseat, as the younger cries and Luhan tells him that it's all fine, he's safe.

Maybe someday he'll have someone to take care of too.

***

Sehun keeps shivering in the chair in Luhan's office while the cop is trying to calm him down. He sits on the floor before his boyfriend and hugs him, feeling his body tremoring violently against him. Sean walks into the room with a cup of coffee in his hand, startling the crap out of Sehun.

His eyes turn to sad as he makes his way to the desk, to lean on it and listen to Luhan's calm statements.

"It's okay, he's not here anymore. He won't hurt you. I'm right here. Everything is alright, see?"

"...He... He hurt me..."

"...What did he do to you?"

"...H-he s-strangled me... H-he hit me... My lip..." His lip is swollen. Luhan already washed the blood off and kissed the pain away, a bit at least.

"Hush baby, it's okay now. I'm here and I will never hurt you." Sehun hugs him ever so tightly. Imagine, a cat running away from a dog and the tree the cat eventually runs to. The cat holds onto the tree so tightly he can't fall. That is how tightly Sehun is gripping on Luhan right now.

But he doesn't mind. As long as he's safe.

"I understand you were mad at mister Li, but you have to be careful. You can't kill the suspects", Sean reminds when taking a sip of his coffee. Luhan sighs while patting Sehun's back. "I shall give you a few days off. You should be there for him."

"...Thank you, Sean."

"As long as you keep him safe."

***

Another second wasn't wasted at the station and Sehun was brought home. Luhan helped him to walk inside and everyone rushed to the door, at first about to complain to Sehun about what took him so long, but when seeing the bruises on his face they knew to shut themselves up. That's when Luhan helped Sehun up the stairs and no one asked about what happened, even though Sehun knows he needs to tell the others sooner or later.

He doesn't mind about it now as Luhan is tugging him in the bed, he himself going to the bathroom to wash and to take a towel to wipe Sehun's sweat. In the end he can't actually do that and Luhan just ends up quickly washing his face and coming back into the bedroom and in the bed where his boyfriend hugs himself while staring out the window.

Luhan sits on the edge of the bed and caresses his back a few times, trying to make the other pay attention to him and the warmth that is now, keep his attention away from the past.

"I want you to show me", Luhan suddenly says. Sehun doesn't even look at him. Doesn't even spare a glance at him. "Show me how was it like. Let me feel what you felt."

"...What?" Now that got the younger's attention. He turns to look at his boyfriend with a weirded out look on his face. Luhan nods a little bit. "And how does that work?"

"I can play your memories in my head if you just think of them. I can feel how it felt like."

Sehun looks at him with disbelief, but Luhan takes a hold of his head and keeps him steady.

"It's all that you're thinking about anyways. Let me handle it. Let me understand how you felt like."

Sehun keeps his hands near to his chest and shakes his head. He closes his eyes and cries.

"I can't. You shouldn't. You can't."

"Just let me know. I want to understand how you felt like. I want to know."

"But it hurts. A lot." He shakes his head rapidly but Luhan keeps him in his place.

"I am not going anywhere."

Sehun gently opens his eyes and looks at him in the eyes. He draws in a few irregular breaths and tries hard not to sob.

"But you gotta promise not to leave me."

"I am going to stay here. Just beside you. I'll sleep right next to you and keep you in my arms for the whole night."

And so he feels a bit more relaxed. He sighs deeply before going back to those painful memories. Luhan keeps reading him like an open book, and in the middle of the chaos, like from a library in a hurricane he manages to catch a book and read it in the storm. He flips the pages, quickly, day by day in a second.

And so he can feel the pain the younger felt. So he can see the angry face of the other man. So he can smell the scent of alcohol.

Seconds pass by, and slowly turn to minutes. Sehun watches in horror as Luhan's face turns uneasy and a bit scared, but mostly worried and bit angry. So many emotions within a few seconds.

And he drops his head to look down at the mattress. His mind is full of those scenes. Insults echo in his ears.

 _Bitch_.

 _Slut_.

His blood is burning.

"...Luhan...?" Sehun tugs on his shirt gently. The older is trying to keep in his anger.

He lays down on the mattress and holds Sehun's waist firmly. The younger lays down in his arms and lets him tug the blanket over them. Luhan holds onto him tightly and caresses his hair, pushing the other's head against his chest. Sehun doesn't mind, he wraps arms around his lover and lulls to sleep when feeling the regular beats of his heart.

 


	29. Embrace

Sehun wakes up in the embrace of his boyfriend, cuddled up against him, face mushed against his chest. It's so warm here... He shifts closer to let the older hug him tighter.

Luhan shifts a bit in his sleep, almost rolling on his boyfriend who now needs to save himself from a certain doom. For the revenge, he takes the blanket and wraps himself into it, leaving Luhan no blanket at all. The older starts to flail his arms in the air when feeling the cold hit his body, but Sehun chuckles to the way he looks like a baby.

Not long before Luhan finally wakes up and looks down at the younger who's chuckling against his chest, wrapped up in the blanket. He blinks a few times with tired eyes. Now this is disturbing.

"Morning, honey", Sehun says when snuggling against his chest. Luhan cuddles with him, gladly, but it's too cold without a blanket.

"Give me the blanket", he whines. His boyfriend chuckles at it before trapping the older under the blanket too.

For a while they just stare into each other's eyes. Sehun smiles faintly when Luhan caresses his cheek.

"How are you feeling?"

"...I'm okay... I mean, I might not have ever been able to keep moving on without you..."

Luhan smiles a bit more before placing a really quick peck on his forehead, because, morning breath. Then he's ready to get out of the bed, but Sehun immediately grasps on his shirt.

"Stay a little bit longer."

"But you do know that Sean has let me have a whole week off of work because of you, I can't be with you today."

Sehun frowns to the way Luhan talks to him. He has to get some comfort from the others downstairs, but frankly Luhan is the only one he truly trusts. Maybe it would be the time to get to know the others a bit better too, to get to trust them.

He sighs deeply when Luhan places another kiss on the top of his head and leaves the bedroom in a hurry.

Another morning when he has to go to work and leave Sehun all alone. He flips on his side to face the wall and wrap himself in the blanket, might as well sleep it off. He decides to stay in bed when hearing his boyfriend rushing to the shower and the others already waking up.

***

After a couple of hours sleeping in, Sehun finally gets up and walks downstairs. He's wearing casual clothes, but not the ones he wears when sleeping - he's very conscious about his scars. He doesn't want them to show, even if three of them have already seen them.

The others are sitting at the table. They have twelve chairs around it. The table is very big. Well they all have to fit there at some point.

Wait... Kai and Minseok are not sitting at the table. There's only Yixing, Tao and Kris. The China-line without the best part - well, at least in Sehun's opinion.

"Good morning. Luhan told us to take a good care of you today", Yixing says when uttering a small smile. Sehun gently replies to it with a shy smile and a nod of his head.

"Morning..."

Kris and Tao say their good mornings too and Kris makes Sehun some breakfast. Sometimes Sehun feels like the baby everyone keeps pampering. He doesn't mind it though, it's nice when Luhan is making all of them protect him.

"Luhan never told us what happened to you", Yixing says when Sehun sits right across him at the table. Kris sits next to him and Tao next to Yixing.

"I... would like to keep it to myself."

"Of course, I didn't mean it like you would have to tell us. You'll tell if you want to", he smiles a bit. Sehun nods a few times, Yixing is being so nice to him.

"Have you guys been training your powers?" Tao asks out of the blue, mainly meaning Sehun and Kris since Yixing's power doesn't actually function the same way their powers do. Sehun and Kris glance at each other, then look back at Tao. "Oh come on! You two and Kai need to train. The four of us already know how to use our powers, it would be the time the three of you started doing something."

"We should actually do it together, maybe. One teacher for all", Sehun says.

"Maybe, but me helping Kris with flying doesn't really work. I think Luhan should teach you two, since he knows how to levitate and move things around with his mind", Tao exclaims. Of course Luhan does not levitate, he's afraid of heights. But he is able to do such a thing. "Yixing and me should help Kai. If something goes wrong, it would be the best if I was there to get him out of the time space or if he hurts himself, Yixing is here to fix him."

"What about Minseok?" Kris wonders.

"He can watch from afar. Nobody cares what he's doing", Yixing huffs but Tao pokes his side.

Speaking of the devil, Kai and Minseok are just walking down the stairs together. Minseok is helping Kai out with the steps and leads him to the kitchen, helping him with the breakfast.

The four of them at the table narrow their eyes. What is happening now, they do not know.

"Thank you", Kai thanks with a really gentle voice when Minseok helps him with the breakfast. Sehun is chewing bread with a really unimpressed look on his face.

And the way Minseok smiles to the younger is too evident.

"Did you guys fuck?" Tao asks out loud the question that was playing in everyone's mind. Kai's face heats up but Minseok tries to be all cool about it and ignore the others. Yixing almost chokes on his food.

"You can't just ask them if they fucked. You gotta be a little bit more... nice about it", Yixing tries to reason. Kris rolls his eyes.

"How do you ask nicely if they've fucked?" he wonders. Yixing narrows his eyes while looking down at the table.

Right, you do not ask that nicely.

"Did you guys hook up?" Yixing asks from the two who sit down at the table. Minseok and Kai glance at each other.

"Well..." the older starts when taking the bread and munching it so he can't finish the sentence. Sehun pokes Kai's side and looks at him with big eyes, asking with his eyes if what Yixing and Tao asked is true. Kai blinks a few times innocently, but then looks down at the table and silently eats his food.

Sehun pokes Kai's side again. He starts poking him as if he had done something wrong.

"Wow... So Kai and Minseok... Who would've thought..." Tao says while leaning on his arm and staring at the two. Minseok shakes his head.

"I was just lonely", Kai adds when looking down in embarrassment. "I... walked to his room instead of mine and Yixing's... He... told me to come over and we chatted for a while... I'm sorry... I was lonely... Sehun and Luhan look so cute together, and the way you two always do everything for each other... I just... I just wanted to have something like that..."

Minseok draws circles on his back to make him calm down. He's having hard time to look at all the others with their boyfriends when he has no one. Natural for hopeless romantic.

"...We have our 'the one' in the forces", Sehun reminds. "Most likely, I mean. If you two were meant to be, you would feel some kind of pull towards each other. That's how I feel with Luhan."

"And that's how I feel with Tao", Kris says when rolling around his cup on the table, ignoring the cheeky smile on his boyfriend's lips.

"Do you have the pull?" Yixing asks. Minseok shakes his head again.

"I was just there for him to keep him company." Kai shoots his disappointed look at the table. He does not feel the pull either. He just wants to feel loved, but Minseok is only a friend.

***

"Focus", Tao tells Kai who keeps looking at him and Yixing with horror. Sehun, Kris and Minseok are also looking at them with worry. If Kai does not figure out how to teleport, the power might get over him.

"I-I can't", the boy shivers in fear. "I-I don't know how to."

"Come on, I believe in you. You can do it, Jongin", Sehun encourages his scared friend. The slightly older looks back at his smile. Sehun is the one he trusts with all his heart. If he now trusts Sehun, everything will go smoothly.

"Breathe, son", Kris reminds. Kai tries to. He clenches his fists tightly and all of them stare at him and his doings. Is that what is supposed to happen?

Sehun unconsciously interlaces his fingers and prays that everything will go smoothly and Kai will be alright. Everything _has_ to go smoothly and Kai _has_ to be alright.

It's not just a snap of his fingers. It needs focusing. Kai is clenching his fists and keeping his hands near to his chest, to keep in most of the pain and exhaustion. Everyone is staring at him as he slowly starts to disappear...

He's mildly panicking.

"You're doing great!" Tao encourages. "Just teleport here, a few meters, to me!"

"Just focus", Yixing reminds. "I'm right here for you."

Kai now panics less and focuses on the spot next to Tao, he's about to do it. He's disappearing, slowly, until...

None of him is seen. Sehun looks at the spot Kai was just standing at. Now it's just emptiness. For a moment, nothing seems to happen. Kai just... disappeared.

"...What happened...?" Minseok asks. The four are panicked, but Tao closes his eyes. He's calm.

"Right here, next to me, Kai", he says with a calming voice. "I'm right here. Don't lose yourself. Come back."

Sehun is not okay. He keeps looking around himself, where the hell did his friend teleport to?

Until they notice a person appearing right next to Tao. It's Kai, but he collapses on the floor immediately. Tao and Yixing rush to him.

"Keep distance", Yixing says to the others who are already rushing to them. Sehun feels awful, he wants to help his friend! He feels a special bond with him and Kai, different from what he feels with Luhan, but not the same with the others.

Tao listens to Kai's heartbeat and checks if he's breathing. Yixing is checking if he's alright from his body. There are no physical injuries and his heart is beating, but very rapidly.

"He fainted", Yixing states when raising Kai's legs on his shoulder while Tao keeping his head on his lap. Together they take care of their fellow member of the forces as the other three watch in the distance, not wanting to make the one laying on the ground panicked.

"Is he alright?" Sehun worries. Tao nods to him.

"He just passed out. He will be okay. Although we might not understand what happens when he teleports. It must be an exhausting process."

"Let's take him to the sofa and wait for him to wake up", Yixing says. Tao nods again and together they lift him, Yixing by his knees and Tao by his torso. And the three follow them when they lift him on the couch.

Yixing stacks some pillows under the younger's legs and one under his head. Sehun sits on the ground on his knees right next to Kai. He's not a bit worried - he's worried to the core.

"Sehun, can you keep an eye on him?" Tao asks. The younger nods rapidly. "Call me and Yixing when he wakes up."

"I will." The others stay for a while there to keep company to him, but then they leave. Except Minseok, as he has grown a bit fond of Kai. Of course, why else would he sleep with him?

The two of them just stare at Kai as he's sleeping. A sleeping beauty, he is. Sehun glances at Minseok behind him, sitting on the other couch, just as if he hadn't noticed him there before.

"You must really care for Kai", the older states when sitting back on the couch, looking at the one who's laying on the other couch. Sehun absentmindedly moves his gaze back to his friend and gently caresses his cheek. His skin feels burning. What did he go through when teleporting?

"I feel", he starts, but keeps a pause. "That we are one. Like twins have the kind of feeling, you know."

"I understand. He's gone through a lot, and from what I've seen, your life hasn't been easy either."

Sehun freezes on his place. How does he know? What does he know?

"I know what happened to your mother and where you went after that. I can see from the way you talk, and from the way you move, that something bad has happened to you."

The younger slowly turns to look at Minseok. He draws in a shaky breath and shivers lightly, staring into the cold eyes of the older. Just why does Minseok look so... heartless?

"You don't need telekinesis to read people", he states as he leans forward on his knees. "I just pay attention to things. Do you know how you can see things like that?"

Even his voice is cold. Sehun doesn't want to look at him, so his gaze collides with the ground. He shakes his head a few times.

"Pay attention. Tao was careful with his right ankle after coming from the shower. He slipped but didn't tell anyone about it. Not even his boyfriend, but I heard the bang from the bathroom. He hurt his ankle."

It's just silence. Sehun now thinks if Tao was actually looking out for his ankle. He better pay attention to that.

"How are you so good at... paying attention?" he wonders. Minseok doesn't look at Sehun anymore, but the same spot the younger is looking at.

"When I was in France, I kept looking out for murderers, so I had to keep notes on who were the bad guys and who were the good guys. Who were the felons and who were the victims. You're a victim. Your mind is too weak."

"...But... why were you looking out for murderers and bad guys, and keeping notes about them?"

Minseok smiles a bit sadly when looking at the younger one. His eyes can be cold at the same time as he tries to look warm. Even his breath freezes. Even his tears would freeze before they could drop from his face. Even Sehun shivers from the cold around him.

"My little sister was murdered. The murderers were in France, in Paris. I threw the whole capital upside down to find them, until I finally did. In the process I killed a few citizens, but whatever. At least I got to see their faces when they begged me to stop."

"...You're a killer..." Sehun states silently. Minseok tilts his head to the side.

"...If that's the way you see me, then I guess we have to live with it."

"That's why Luhan despises you", the younger keeps solving out the relationship between this man and his boyfriend. "...But you killed for your little sister... That's why he forgives you..."

"...Something always seems to crack inside Luhan whenever he sees a big brother and a cute little sister. I can't judge him for that. It happens to me too."

"...What was her name? When did she die?"

Now Minseok seems really upset.

"...Minjun... She died... when she was 16... Seven years ago..."

That's the same time Luhan's little sister died. Now Sehun knows what happens to people with the same cruel memory. The other is a cop, but the other is a killer. The similarity is that they both want to catch the people who did it.

Kai suddenly starts to look for Sehun. He whimpers a bit when trying to catch his arm.

Minseok and Sehun both jump up.

"Quickly, go get Tao and Yixing!" he panics. Minseok doesn't wait one second, he's almost as fast as lightning.

It doesn't take long until the five of them are rounded around the couch and staring at Kai who's trying to grab for someone. Yixing holds his hand while Tao caresses his hair, saying calming things to him.

"It's okay, Kai. You can wake up. It's all alright. We're here for you. You're in the living room, on the couch. You're here in one piece."

Kai keeps shifting from side to side. Yixing is soothing his hand gently.

But then someone opens the door, and slams it close. Who other would it be than the owner of this house and the only decent working person. The cop walks to the living room where everyone have gathered around the couch. Just then, Kai opens his eyes, panting heavily.

He sits up after a while of catching his breath and stares at Luhan. The older could see the situation immediately, as he read Kai's expression.

"...Hi... How's it been here?" he says while walking closer, smiling a bit as he does.

"...Good... I guess... Better than being sold... to some people..." Kai smiles back. Only the two of them know what this is all about, but the others don't have to. It was the first time they met in the hospital that Luhan said those words to Kai and that's what he replied.

"Brave. You teleported?"

Of course no one is surprised that Luhan knows, but they're all surprised that he's suddenly very calm when Luhan is here. It's because he felt that someone is missing.

"...I did... But passed out..."

"Until now."

Luhan is actually pretty scared for what happened to Kai, but doesn't want to make the younger as worried as he is. So he plays it cool.

"Sehun... Guess who has to practice next..." he narrows his eyes when looking at his boyfriend who rolls his eyes and hugs Kai on the couch, making Yixing and Tao give some space to them. Luhan laughs it off. The only thing he hopes is that his calm attitude makes the others in the room calm down too, even though he's rather excited for that everyone is experimenting with their powers and getting stronger.

 


	30. One Heart

"Breathe calmly. Exactly like that, you're doing so well already honey", Luhan says to his boyfriend who's keeping a pillow in his hands with his force, with wind. He tries to travel it around the room and he succeeds.

Luhan goes to the other end of the room.

"Now throw it to me."

Sehun makes a small bump that makes the pillow fly to the older. Luhan catches it without an effort and catches it under his arm immediately to clap for his boyfriend.

"You're improving a lot! Kris is also improving, look at him flying around the house. And Kai! He doesn't even faint nearly as much as he used to", he exclaims with a proud smile on his face. Sehun smiles and nods a few times.

"We have been doing nothing but practicing for two weeks! Could we please do something else now? It's Christmas for fuck's sake!"

Luhan utters a laughter to his boyfriend before walking to him and taking him into a big, tight, loving hug. Sehun laughs at him too while hitting his chest, waiting for him to let go of him.

"Sehun has a point. Just because you're the only decent one working here, doesn't mean you can make us your slaves", Minseok exclaims when he's sitting on the couch, a leg thrown over the other.

Luhan huffs angrily. "I am not making you people my slaves, I'm just trying to make you all handle your powers! It's about time we do something!"

"I think what Luhan means is that", Kris speaks up, "we need to master our powers before we meet any monsters. Wouldn't want any of us to die just because of our carelessness."

"Thank you, Kris, at least you get my point."

"You can never be too sure."

"But seriously!" Sehun whines when stomping his feet on the ground. "Two weeks straight?! We need to also have some breaks!"

"Don't you guys grow bored when you don't have anything to do around the house?" Luhan snorts back, now letting go of his too arrogant boyfriend.

"No! Do you know how much mess these guys make?" Minseok says and all the others laugh at him. "How do you even live here?!"

"You've been living here for only like six weeks!" Sehun tries to tell but Minseok only flails his hand before him.

Luhan laughs at his boyfriend and ruffles his hair before dropping on the couch. He relaxes with Kai right next to him. And then Sehun sits down between them, hugging Luhan's chest.

"Yeah, maybe we should relax for a little. You know, for the sake of our bodies and sanity. And when this is all over, the Twelve Forces have done their job, I promise to get rid of all of you and move in with Sehun and live only for him", the cop says.

"Oh please, what about me you dumbass?" Yixing asks when slapping Luhan's head. "The dinner's almost ready, so you should prepare your stomachs."

"No way! I just ate!" Tao whines.

"Well you should have thought about that before seeing me making you all a nice Christmas dinner. And after that, we're gonna have nice bonding time together while eating chocolate and candy."

"Are you trying to make me fat?" Tao asks, and Yixing winks his eye.

"Sehun wouldn't mind some fat around his bones right", Luhan says when poking Sehun's side, making the younger one giggle. He shakes his head though, he's been starving himself since he was kidnapped.

"Great! Then let's change!" Tao decides, but Sehun only giggles.

"You're not even fat. I mean, compare us", Kris speaks up and earns a slap from his boyfriend.

They spend time laughing and smiling, talking to each other and making each other feel even more comfortable around them. Yixing is preparing dinner in the kitchen but also takes a part in the conversation. Sometimes he calls for Tao's aid.

Even if Sehun loves spending time with these people, his new family he's trying to get used to, he can't but think back to what all has happened this year. So many things have happened and meeting Luhan was the best of it all.

All the talking around him, all the noise, it all turns to static in his ears when he leans his head against his boyfriend's chest and listens to his heartbeat only. He is ready to pass back to sleep while Luhan is caressing his hair soothingly.

After a while, Yixing has the food ready. Luhan has to poke Sehun's side to wake him up, to drag his head out of the clouds. When Sehun raises his head to look at his boyfriend in the eyes, the older is smiling to him. He's just staring at the older for a good while.

"Let's go eat what Yixing has prepared for us." Sehun nods his head and gets up with Luhan.

They all walk to the kitchen and sit around the table. Luhan sits next to Sehun and the other couple sits right next to them. Yixing, Kai and Minseok sit on the other side of the table.

Yixing and Tao put everything on the table and make everything ready for the others to start eating. Yixing has made a lot of traditional Chinese dishes.

This is the second time Sehun celebrates Christmas without his mother. Because she was religious, they celebrated the holiday. Last time he didn't celebrate though, he was kidnapped and laying in bed, waiting for his death. The last Christmas really sucked.

But the one before that, the ones he spent with his mother, were always so nice. She would always buy presents for him. Even when he was too old for gifts in his own opinion, she kept treating him.

Thinking back to that makes Sehun want to cry. His mother was such a loving person.

He hangs his head low and Luhan gives him the food. Sehun tries hard not to cry, but everyone is staring at him.

"Sehun... Please... Eat your dinner..." Luhan tries to soothe his back but that's when Sehun really breaks. That just reminds him more of his mother.

"...We celebrated Christmas... Always... Me and umma..." Sehun says silently, so that his voice wouldn't break. Kris on the other hand places his hand on Sehun's own and soothes it gently. "But last Christmas... I wasn't with her... How could I have ever imagined, two years ago, that things would come to this?"

"...You're Christian, yes", Yixing says gently. "Me and my grandmother always celebrated Christmas too. And she's not here anymore, anyone else in my family doesn't care for Christmas..."

Sehun hangs his head low and tears start to drip on his lap.

"We can make our own Christmas now, Sehun-ah. The most important thing is that we are not alone."

Sehun gets up from the table and runs to the bathroom.

"Sehun!" Luhan yells after him, but the boy is not listening to him. Then he turns back to the others and sighs deeply.

"This must be hard for him..." Kris exclaims.

Minseok looks at Luhan from under his eyebrows. He's sitting right across him. He's being very loud and clear with his thoughts, so when Luhan finally looks at him, he realizes that Minseok truly knows some things about Sehun.

But he doesn't reply anything, even when Minseok is clearly asking from him, _"he was kidnapped, wasn't he? He was with the kidnappers last Christmas, wasn't he?"_

No, Luhan cannot give an answer to that. He knows the answer, but Minseok shall not know that.

Even though the way he acts makes Minseok aware that he is indeed very right. Minseok is always right.

The others dine for a moment in silence, hearing Sehun's sobbing from the bathroom. He really is upset.

The youngest hangs his head low while leaning against the wall, sitting on the cold tile floor. He tries to hold his tears but can't when thinking back to the last Christmas.

 _"You're a church boy, aren't you"_ , Richard smirked to Sehun who was laying in bed, trying to cover his body from the embarrassment. He did not think anything of Richard's little touchings at that time, he didn't know where things would come to. _"You used to celebrate Christmas with your mother... Poor boy. Maybe I'll give you a present one day."_

Sehun hides his head. He can't stop thinking about what happened. It hurt so much. Just a single thing that reminds him of Dmitri and Richard makes him want to die. He is not strong enough to be in the forces, they would be stronger without him.

And they keep telling him that he's strong, even though he's not. They keep telling him that he's the one who has the ability to make everything to fall apart, even though the only thing he's breaking apart is his own sanity.

He cannot move on. Things will never change. He can't get over those thoughts.

Someone knocks on the bathroom door. Sehun is startled by the noise, but doesn't pay any attention to it.

 _"Sehun... Come on... Let me in, I can hear you're crying."_ It's Luhan, of course. _"Let's have a dinner and some fun. Let's just forget about life and all the bad things and enjoy each other's company. Wouldn't that be nice? To be together with everyone and have fun."_

"You know that I'm incapable of having fun!"

_"Knock knock."_

Sehun lets out a deep sigh. "I'm not gonna play with you."

 _"Knock knock"_ , Luhan repeats. And Sehun sighs again.

"...Who's there?"

_"Officer."_

"Officer... who?"

_"Officer Luhan from Seoul police department and I'm gonna have to arrest you for being in my household crying when this place is obviously for having fun."_

Sehun rolls his eyes and gets up, walking to the door. He opens the door and looks at his boyfriend dumbfounded, "then I'm gonna go cry outside", and walks out the bathroom, but Luhan traps him in his arms.

"No! I'm gonna have to arrest you remember? And what would be a better jail than trapped in my arms?"

Sehun tries not to giggle now. His boyfriend is too loving and it's cute how he's trying to make him feel better.

"You're so... cheesy", Sehun blushes but chuckles a bit. Luhan now knows that he achieved it, his goal.

"Only for you."

Just then someone knocks on the door. Luhan keeps Sehun in his arms when Kris comes to the entrance too. He smiles to the two.

"I'll get it. You two just go have dinner."

The two of them nod, and they're already in the living room when Kris opens the door.

Behind the door stands a man in a suit and beside him is standing a young teenage girl. Kris looks at both of them alternatively, not understanding why are the two there. And the two just stare him back.

"Hello, is this Mister Lu's house?" the small man asks, and Kris nods reluctantly. Then he looks at the teenage girl again. She's adorable. She couldn't possibly be someone dangerous, could she?

"Yes, this is Luhan's house."

"And you are living with him... And with you, there's also living five others... All of you are men."

Kris narrows his eyes, not knowing whether or not to trust this man. How does he know all this?

"...Yes... How do you know that?"

The man smiles to himself and the girl smiles too.

"Well... We happen to be in an organization... Called One Heart." Kris is ready to close the door if the man does something suspicious. His eyes are narrowed and he doesn't know what to say. "I know what you might think. But we have been on track of Luhan and his doings for a long while. In fact, we know everything that he's done. And we've profited from all his knowledge."

"...What are you going to do about it?" Kris asks. His mind is suddenly filled with fear. "You can't come in, Luhan will turn this house upside down if needed to get you two away from-"

"We are not the bad guys. We are the ones that helped Yixing to find you. We are the organization that's helping you. In fact, we are doing the same as you are, finding the other forces."

Kris' eyes widen. He doesn't know whether or not to believe these people, but then Luhan walks to the door too. And his eyes widen too.

Of course, Kris doesn't feel it when someone is a part of the forces, cause his ability isn't that evolved.

"You're a part of the forces!" Luhan says immediately and the guy smiles. The girl smiles a bit when looking up at him, but she stays silent.

"Yes, I am a part of the forces. And this is the helper of the Twelve Forces", meaning the girl. "May we come in to discuss more about these matters?"

Luhan nods his head and Kris opens the door for them, a bit dumbfounded.

"Come in... You can have dinner with us, we're just eating."

"Thank you, you're very kind Mister Lu."

Luhan nods his head a few times when they walk to the kitchen.

But he cannot take his eyes off of the teenage girl. She's probably... sixteen... Her eyes look innocent and her hair is long. It reminds Luhan of someone.

When they reach the kitchen, all the others look at them weirdly. Some of them feel immediately that he's a member of the forces. But Minseok is just like Luhan, his attention is focused on the girl. His eyes soften immediately when seeing her.

"Who is this?" Kai asks with a weird look on his face.

"I am the leader of the organization One Heart. And I am a part of the forces."

"I am Kim Yerim..." the girl speaks up, then looks up at Luhan. "My mother remembers you. You were the nice police officer who visited her in the hospital..."

Luhan and Sehun both look at her weirdly. "You're the daughter of Kim Areum? The lady that helped us with our investigation?"

"Yes... Kim Areum is my mother."

"I am her guardian. I have the ability to control water. You can call me Suho."

"But... How did you find us?" Tao wonders when wiping food off of his lips. Trying not to be all dirty about it, he didn't nail it.

"We have been looking after your friend Luhan for a while now. We've also been looking after Yixing", Suho explains when Kris offers the two chairs and they sit down to make themselves comfortable.

Luhan raises his eyebrows for the answer. He looks at Sehun and reads his mind, seeing that the other is obviously troubled by them but also to know that they were right. There is an organization helping them, and the leader of that organization is a member of the forces.

"Why?" Luhan asks, wanting to know why would they keep an eye on them.

"My father started the organization in order to unite the forces. He knew that I would be one of them. He wanted to make sure that this time we would find the Lost Star", Suho tells before Yixing walks to him and hands him a plate. As he does so, they look at each other in the eyes. It's just one look, one look and Yixing's swept away. He walks back to the kitchen to get a plate for Yerim too, a shy smile on his lips.

No one in the room is oblivious to that. Luhan just rolls his eyes. These grown up men are more like teenage girls.

"My father knew Kim Areum", Suho says when taking a better seat. Everyone now gathers at the table to listen what the man has to say. "Kim Areum knew your parents, Luhan. She also knows that your little sister was murdered, every friend of your parents know that. Tragic, what happened to them and their only child."

Luhan clenches his fists. His parents never saw him as their real son. He was adopted, of course, but that his mother refused to call him her son is... painful.

"They never saw you as their real son, I know. Your father really tried, I know that too. But you can't force people to feel the things they don't feel. Just like you could not make your parents feel like you were as important to them as their daughter. Kim Areum knew your parents, yes, and that way my father got to know that you are a member of the forces. Areum knows that. She's got the ability to see things that other people don't, just like her daughter. So my father started watching over you and got to know Yixing, and ever since he was watching you two."

The men need some time to breathe. Luhan and Yixing are currently having a crisis because they have been watched all this time without them even knowing.

"How did your father watch over me and Yixing?" Luhan asks when remembering that he had not seen any kind of cameras in his house. Ever.

"He didn't watch you like that, you know. He just knew what you were doing, like, what you were ordering, what kind of mail you got, what your phone numbers were and your contacts, where you were, where you lived, where you worked. That kind of stuff that probably a teenage girl stalking her crush would get with a little bit of internet... and a little bit of hacking and asking around."

"You are comparing your father to a teenage girl", Tao says when nodding with lidded eyes. "Right."

"If it was this girl right here, I would compare him to her. He was so pure", Suho adds. Yerim just smiles at him a bit.

"What happened to your father?" Kris asks suddenly. Suho turns to look at him with a sad look on his face.

"He was murdered. Shot once to the chest."

That reminds Luhan of the one time he was shot.

"Now tell me the deal with this girl", Kris demands. Yerim blinks a few times innocently.

"He said that I am a helper of the Twelve Forces", she starts. "That I am. When you find your final forms and you're all together in the right order, I will be the one to send you on your journey. And to also get you out of there."

"Jo-journey?" Sehun points out when hearing this new information. Yerim turns to look at him and nods her head.

"The journey. To another place. It can be dark, it can be light, but filled with abominations it is."

Now that if something makes all of them worried to the core. So now they know something about what they're fighting against - or more like, where they're fighting against something that's out of this world.

"Where does the name of your organization come from?" Yixing wonders.

"My father wanted to come up with something... symbolic... Like we are one, we should have one heart."

"But what about..." Kai looks up at Suho with his face colorless. "The Lost Star?"

"...What or where Lost Star is, my father never explained to me. I guess that... he never knew that either", Suho replies with a sad look on his face.

"Enough for questions and being all gloomy!" Luhan says when taking a bite of his food. "I don't wanna a hear a word about the Twelve Forces for now. I just want to eat and have a fun Christmas."

The rest of them just laugh at him. Suho and Yerim look at all around them when all the men start eating. Everyone except Sehun, who stares at the table.

Only one thought is going around in his mind. Lost Star... why does it sound... so familiar? It's like he was supposed to know what it means... Something way in the past...

 


	31. Church

_"What the fuck even is Lost Star? Sounds like some poetic bullshit to me."_

_"You know that boss would never tell us some poetic bullshit. He's pretty straight-forward with what he wants and what he means."_

_"Well maybe he thought he was artistic this time."_

_"I'm also pretty sure that that's a song name."_

That's when it hits Sehun. How come that the memories of Richard and Dmitri could actually help him?

He looks at the ground with a thoughtful look on his face. All of them are sitting in the living room and having fun. Sehun wouldn't like to be the kind of person to ruin other people's fun so he tries to laugh with them. Yixing is playing the guitar and singing something he and Luhan always sang together. Then Luhan joins him. Sehun can't be but jealous over this sweet moment between his boyfriend and the other's best friend.

Kai who then leans on his arm staring at the two with admiration makes Sehun feel better however. He's got a best friend too. The person like twin for him. They might not have shared a kiss, or shared a bed in order to make each other feel good, no, but they have something better. Kai is a brother to Sehun. By something more meaningful than blood - by a choice.

"It's a song", Sehun whispers so only Kai hears him. The latter now sits up to look at his friend with a dumb look on his face. He raises an eyebrow.

"A song? What is a song?"

"Lost Stars."

Kai's eyes widen. A huge grin lands on his face and he hits Sehun's arm once.

"It is! You're right! But it must be a coincidence, right? There's no way that there's a guy who made a song about... something that has to do with our purpose to live, right?" Kai thinks out loud, but not too loud, so no one else than Sehun would hear him. The younger one just shrugs because honestly, he has no idea either.

"I don't know... but I don't want to think that there's someone who knows and made a song about it."

"What are the lyrics even about?"

"Not about abominations like us, that I can tell you." Kai just huffs and slaps Sehun's shoulder.

Yerim on the other side of the room is sitting right next to Luhan. She's just staring at his nice hands that have those veins popping up. Minseok is sitting on the other side of her.

Oh, she knows. She knows that these two are going to protect her with all their lives because their little sisters died at the same age. She could already notice the two fighting over her love, as if making sure that she would only be the other's little sister. As if they couldn't both be her big brothers.

***

When the night comes, everyone is still in the living room eating candy. No presents, except for Tao and Kris who kind of give each other the same presents every year. You can guess what it is.

Yixing is at the door, putting on his jacket and a pair of shoes. He's waiting for Sehun, who's still stuck in the kitchen with Luhan who might or might not have insulted Sehun and Yixing's religious beliefs.

"So tell me, if god doesn't make mistakes, then why did he make me? Why did he make us?" Luhan asks when taking a sip of alcohol. Of course he is drinking at this beautiful evening instead of wasting it in a church! Sehun tries not to be mad at him. Suho is also in the room, looking at them with a sad face. He's wondering if he and Yerim should go back home, but doesn't dare to intervene this juicy argument.

"Mistake? Luhan you're perfect", Sehun tries to reason when walking to his boyfriend who just kind of pushes him away.

"What do you mean perfect? I am an abomination, a disgusting homosexual pervert who keeps drooling over your ass. I live for revenge. I live to kill those sons of bitches who took my sister's life and send them to hell where they belong. But then I remember... that I am no man of god and angels."

"Luhan, please, just go to sleep. I hate to see you so negative."

"I am negative", Luhan says when leaving the bottle on the table and gripping Sehun's shirt, pulling him close to himself. "But I also do know that demons cannot be blamed for our own mistakes. If god doesn't make mistakes, then I guess god didn't make me."

"This is really not a good time, I need to..." Sehun starts but Luhan pushes him into the corner of the room. The younger looks at him with big eyes, trying to get his hands off of him. But Luhan just leans closer to his face. "...Go..."

"If god existed... then neither of us would. Then go to church, church boy. When preaching to your god, remember that you're coming home to your fucking disgusting boyfriend and remember that you live with murderers. Remember that some day he's going to fuck you like the devil", he says with an irritated tone in his voice, ignoring the way Sehun pleads him to stop. But then he leaves, to go to the living room to sleep away this feeling.

Sehun holds his shirt and tries hard not to cry. Luhan is always so kind and understanding, but when it comes to his religion... Luhan thinks it's total bull. The younger one closes his eyes to calm down.

"I am not Christian", Suho says when seeing the younger one in pain. He opens his eyes immediately. "I am Buddhist. And I think that what he said was quite... ignorant."

"He's never like this. Only when we're discussing about religion. And he's drunk..."

"I kind of understand why he feels that way. His parents didn't love him as their own son, even after his constant efforts. And then he was taught that men shouldn't be romantically with men, but he never felt the same attraction to women. So he must have felt like... he was never part of anything. Only his little sister was family to him and then she was taken away from him, which made his parents really mad at him. He must feel responsible for what happened to his sister."

Sehun nods slowly. "That makes sense. I think he sees my religion as something that divides us. Like something that would judge him."

"...Don't you?" Suho asks with raised eyebrows. "You must not have been at peace when you... came out..."

"I was not at peace", he shakes his head when taking a deep breath. "But I was loved nevertheless." He makes an eye contact with Suho and tries to smile a little bit. "We're going to church now. We'll be back in a couple of hours. I guess you and Yerim are leaving?"

"Yeah, me and her live together since her mother..." Suho starts but doesn't continue. "You know what I'm talking about."

"I know."

They walk to the door where Yixing is already dying in waiting. He leans on the wall and sighs deeply when finally seeing Sehun walk this way.

"Finally! You just had no hurry chatting with this guy and left me all alone."

"Sorry, Yixing. Luhan was being a dick", Sehun apologizes.

"And that's all I ever will be!" Luhan yells back. He's really not doing well.

"You better take care of him when you get back", Suho states when opening the door for the two and Yerim. "Shall we go?"

"Let us", Yerim says when stepping first outside. It's snowing outside, it must be a Christmas miracle. Sehun is always happy about the snow, but do you know who's the happiest? Yeah, Minseok. He is making a snowman.

***

At the church there is already some people. They're sitting on the seats and the lights are out, only the altar has candles there. It looks so beautiful. Sehun takes Yixing's hand in his without even realizing, like he was a little kid again. So many good memories about this church and his mother.

"I'm so happy to be here again", Sehun says silently. Yixing looks at him with big eyes. "My mother took me here every Christmas when I was little."

"I'm so happy Father Lee saved me", Yixing states with a shrug. "This place truly saves people."

Sehun utters a smile to that. His mind is troubled by what Luhan said earlier. He is right, but at the same time he's not right at all. Why is his religion something that Luhan can't handle at all? It's just a religion, and it's not like Sehun was preaching all the time. Even when he keeps his Bible on the nightstand, Luhan puts it in the drawer.

Thinking about this only makes Sehun sad. He looks down at the ground. Yixing notices this.

"Hey... What Luhan said, you shouldn't think too much about it. What matters is our faith."

"...I am sometimes worried that he will not be going to heaven after he dies", Sehun says quietly. Yixing looks away from him and sighs deeply. "Not spend eternity with me."

"...Sehun. You will have to be strong. Who knows, maybe His grace will touch your boyfriend's soul too", Yixing tries to comfort while slightly patting Sehun's back. Sehun nods his head a few times.

"It's not like religion was the most important part of my everyday life either. I have other worries to worry about too... Death not being one of them."

"...Hm, what about our mission?" Yixing leans closer to Sehun's ear to whisper. "What if we have to kill people?"

Sehun immediately raises his head and looks at his friend with fear. He is right - what if they have to kill? What if he will someday thirst for vengeance the same way Luhan and Minseok do? But he knows his mother would want him to forgive the murderers.

"...I want to be free, Yixing", he shakes his head slightly. "We need to do what we need to do in order to break free. If we don't, more people will die. More people that we love will die. Everyone, will, die!"

That one he said a little bit too loud and people around them look in their direction with confusion. Yixing smiles to them slightly as Sehun is holding his head, having a mental breakdown.

"He's... forgot his medicine..." Yixing explains and the people turn away from them. Yixing rolls his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Calm down, Sehun."

"I-I can't... I can't calm down... We will die... Everyone will die..."

While Sehun is having a panic attack, Yixing raises his head to see the altar. There are some candles lit and it looks amazing.

And then, at the wall, are thirteen little stars shining brightly. One of them is bigger than the others. And one of them is nowhere near the other stars. Yixing's eyes widen and he shakes Sehun's shoulders to get his attention. Sehun doesn't first understand that Yixing wants him to look up, as he's too occupied with staring at his feet.

"Sehun, look", the older one whispers as she shakes the other, Sehun slowly raising his head from his hands to look at where's Yixing's hand pointing. It's pointing at the altar.

That's when he sees it. The thirteen stars. He turns to look at Yixing, but the Chinese points at the one that's away from the other stars.

"It's the lost star", he whispers.

 


	32. Just Exist

Luhan holds his aching head. It hurts like hell. Every small noise makes him want to shoot himself. But these days, for safety reasons, he doesn't bring his gun home. God knows what the other guys might do with it... Though, he's pretty sure Kris and Minseok own guns themselves.

He tries to get up but the head ache takes over him. He never throws up when he's hungover, or at least these days. Maybe he's drinking less than he used to. That's a good thing though. Would save his head from being even more damaged.

The rest of the guys are in the living room too - Kai, Minseok, Kris and Tao. Tao is keeping an eye on Luhan and Kris and Minseok are talking about some brutal murders they've both committed. Why are they talking about it before a cop again? Luhan throws his head back and groans, making Kai immediately walk to him. He just wanted to be near Minseok and of course, not alone.

"Are you okay, Luhan?" Kai asks with a gentle voice when trying Luhan's head. The latter waves his head before the other.

"When you shut those two up, then I will be okay", he exclaims and Tao who's keeping an eye on them, rolls his eyes. He is holding a glass of water in his hands that he now hands to the cop. Luhan looks at him with narrowed eyes. "Is this poisoned?"

"We wish", Tao shakes his head. Luhan just gulps down the water. It tastes just like water. "You know that killing you would be quite a dick move from us."

"Well it wouldn't be anything new for you." Luhan places his hand on his forehead. Kai squeezes his arm a bit.

"Don't be like that, Luhan. We are one. What matters is our mission and that we stick together. Plus, the guys had good motives to kill those people", he tries to explain. Luhan knows that, too. Who he wouldn't kill to save his little sister... But it's in the past. The revenge some day will be sweet and a lot of blood will be shed. And none of it is going to be Luhan's.

He opens his mouth but he doesn't have time to reply as they hear the front door open and two excited boys run to the living room, flailing their arms around. All the others look at them weirdly.

"What an exciting trip to church", Minseok chuckles. The two don't know how to form words for what they saw.

"We saw the lost star!" Sehun jumps up. Everyone in the room stare at them with disbelief.

"You should have seen it!" Yixing adds. Luhan lets out a huff of breath.

"Me? In a church?" Kai slaps his chest to note him about his bad behavior. Luhan just rolls his eyes.

"You saw the lost star... where exactly?" Kai asks from the two who are jumping up and down.

"At the altar!" Sehun tells. Tao smiles to his adorable behavior.

"There were thirteen stars and a big one shining among them! Then there was one star apart from the other stars, lost from the others", Yixing says, waving his arms before his face. "I think we should tell Suho and Yerim about this."

"Oh we will. But not now, because as you know, they left. Besides they're stalking us anyway so", Luhan speaks up and the two are a little disappointed to see that the older one doesn't really care.

"Come on, Lu, you've been searching for the twelve forces longer than any of us and gathering clues", Kris adds, to which Luhan scoffs.

"And where did it get me? Abso-fucking-lutely nowhere."

All the other guys in the room look at each other with concern. Yixing and Sehun share a worried look. Yixing pats Sehun's back a couple of times and motions him to talk to Luhan, to get some sense into him. The others are ready to get up from the couches, now gazes on the ground awkwardly.

"So, uh... We'll be heading to bed now", Kai says as he gets up, taking Minseok's hand in his own, whispering in his ear, _"Keep company to me tonight"_ , and Minseok gladly agreeing to that one. Kris and Tao get up too, walking away from them slowly. Yixing motions for Sehun to get some sense into Luhan. Sehun just sighs deeply when all his friends leave him.

Luhan lays on the couch, staring at the wooden brown ceiling. Sehun awkwardly scrapes the back of his head, sighing deeply.

"Luhan... You know that we really appreciate for what you've done to all of us. Your parents' legacy has saved us all, like, financially."

The older one just turns his side to the younger one to snuggle against the couch a bit better. Sehun feels anger and irritation slowly rise from deep inside of him.

"Listen. We saw the stars. I think that's a clue that we should write down."

"You do it", Luhan says. "Since you know everything."

Sehun walks to him and turns him around forcefully. He looks at his boyfriend deep in the eyes but the latter stares into the distance.

"When have I said that I know everything? When have I tried to be bigger than you? When have I acted like I even wanted to do or be so?" he asks, gripping his boyfriend's collar.

"...You haven't."

"Yeah. I haven't. So why the hell are you being like this?"

"Because I am afraid that you and Yixing have something in common that I can never have. That you believe in something that ridicules our existence."

"Our existence? You mean by what we possess, these powers, or do you mean by what the person you love has in his pants?" Sehun asks with such concern to which Luhan just sighs deeply. It was the last one, Sehun knows that. "...Who hurt you? What is so bad about this... believing? I don't understand why you're so against it."

"...Sometimes I... feel like I'm not enough for you... When you preach about your god and talk about your heaven... Well, that heaven is not for me. That heaven is for you. You are an angel already, you do belong there", Luhan explains, now finally looking at Sehun whose eyes have softened a bit. "You belong in there. I don't."

"What are you talking about? I don't believe in God who would not save someone like you to-"

"I don't want to be saved. See?" Luhan snaps, then around again to not see Sehun. "There is something that you don't know, Sehun."

Sehun looks at his boyfriend with a dumbfounded look on his face, now worrying about him.

"Then tell me", he pleads, to which Luhan yet again sighs deeply. He stays quiet for a while, until Sehun starts shaking him.

"...These noises... These powers... They hold something very scary in them. Something... unnatural. I... sometimes feel like there is someone sitting next to me and telling me what to do. Sometimes it tells me horrible things like... to hurt you. Sometimes it yearns for blood. Sometimes it makes me want to kill, too. Sometimes, I dream of brutally murdering someone. In the name of my meimei. In the name of hurting you. Scenarios where I'm a killer, a murderer, play in my head."

Sehun listens intently. What Luhan tells him sounds scary, and it makes me want to take a step back, but... this is his boyfriend. He has to be there for him. Why Luhan feels this grudge is because he has never got to talk his feelings through. It can't be because of that... thing.

"Luhan, you can talk to me about it-"

"I don't want to. You don't understand. Nobody would understand."

"Nobody would understand what? My mother was... shot, right before my eyes", Sehun says, trying not to think about what happened. It's just words, it's just words...

"I know... and I am sorry you had to experience that. You were tortured, you were raped, you witnessed your mother's murder and... here you are in all your perfectness, wanting to hurt nobody. You don't yearn for revenge like I do. I'm a monster."

"No, that's not what I meant-"

"Is it not? You are better than me. You stay calm. You forgive. It's been years. I can't forget, I can't forgive, I can't accept it." Can't accept his own little sister's death. But why is it that Luhan feels this way, while Sehun feels no grudge against any of them? Not the man who killed his mother, not the three men who tortured him. He forgave them.

"You... have not processed it right, Luhan. You're focusing only on the anger and the feeling that you did not fulfill your duty."

"My parents died too. Four parents and all dead", Luhan says with an emotionless voice. "It was my duty to protect her. It was my duty to protect them. They were my family."

"I think you should finally accept the fact that..." Sehun starts, now caressing Luhan's hair calmly. "...They're dead. You can't change the past. You have to accept that their death is not something you can undo. Nor is it your fault. Did you kill them? No, you did not."

"What if I did...?" Luhan asks, a single tear sliding down his face. Sehun bites his lips and tries to be strong for Luhan. "I don't know what's right and what's wrong. I don't know what's real and not. I don't understand anything."

"You don't have to understand. We are people, we were not made to understand, we were not made to fulfill duties. We were made to... just exist. Just live."

Sehun now climbs onto the couch to lay Luhan's head on his lap and gently caress his hair. Luhan tries not to cry, but his lower lip trembles badly. He grips on Sehun's shirt and pulls himself close, to hide his face against his boyfriend's stomach. The younger one just looks at him sadly.

"One thing I guarantee you. I am real, and I am here for you." Sehun leans his back against the couch and closes his eyes, focusing on making Luhan feel better, the latter's whole body trembling.

***

_"Please... Don't see... Just a boy caught up in dreams and fantasies..."_

Sehun gently tries to open his eyes. His back hurts. Did he really fall asleep in sitting position? Really? And with a scarf on, jacket half off of him? Only old people fall asleep sitting when they're watching TV.

_"Please... See me... Reaching out for someone I can't see..."_

That song... sounds oddly familiar, Sehun wonders. It sounds like someone is singing in the kitchen. It sounds like Yixing.

Luhan is still laying on Sehun's lap, his head now apart from his stomach, but hands still near his shirt almost as if he had just let go. His face is puffy. Sehun smiles to the scene fondly, brushing his fingers on the older's cheek. Perfection, even in the imperfections. Especially in the imperfections. If Luhan were just good trait after another, he would be really boring. Sehun dislikes the way people define perfect. They say people can't be perfect, but Sehun disagrees. Imperfections are what make people perfect. That's why drama exists. Cause nobody really likes or wants to read a story with zero drama.

"Rise and shine!" Yixing yells to the two in the living room when running in there. "I wish I had something to give you two on this fine Christmas day, but unfortunately, I have nothing but breakfast to give you. And even those are bought with Luhan's money... Anyways, get up!" He's such a goofy person and Sehun loves it. Even though he was first pretty intimidated by him when knowing his and his boyfriend's sexual history.

"Don't wake up the baby", Sehun shushes immediately to Yixing who stares at him blankly. The younger one just keeps caressing his boyfriend's hair. "He's had such a harsh life."

Yixing scoffs and rolls his eyes, "Who hasn't? Realizing that is just part of growing up. But you know, grow up, get up and make it better?"

Sehun just shakes his head.

"Oh and that Sean guy just called. He needs Luhan at the station with something", Yixing adds to which Sehun groans.

"Really? It's Christmas day..."

"Well your boyfriend is pretty much an atheist so he doesn't get to spend the day off. Being a cop really means that he's basically married with his job."

"I know that..." Sehun replies silently, now trying to shake Luhan awake. "Wake up, Luhan... The captain needs you."

To this Luhan almost immediately raises his head up and basically falls from the couch on the floor. He has to change into his uniform... And Sehun can help him with that too.


	33. New Me

"This year", Sehun starts as he takes a deep inhale of the cold air. "I hope for things to become better. I have hope for the future. It sometimes seems pointless, but... I know that there is a point if I can help other people from feeling like I do. If I can help people overcome their worst traumas. If I can... make the world a better place by just trying to share love instead of corruption. To show everyone that I am here to make things better. I know some people will think I'm crazy, and that the world will never be entirely good - well it shouldn't. Just strong enough to make it through another day."

Luhan watches as his boyfriend kneels before the gravestone and lights a candle. Pictures of his mother are attached on the wall and he looks at them sadly, eyes red. Luhan gulps and takes a deep inhale too, of the cold air that is freezing his fingers off.

"I miss you, mom. You were the best mother anyone could ask for. You didn't take care of me because you had to, you weren't obligated to do so. You took care of me because you wanted to. Because you actually cared. You had a big heart that had no room for hatred. Sometimes I wish you were my mother by blood, just because I wanted to inherit your big heart."

Luhan looks up at the skies to see clouds moving away from the sun. He tries not to shiver. The rest of their crew is at their house, making food and promises for new year. Celebrating with their new family. Luhan came here to the cemetery with Sehun to show their respect for their families that passed away. It's been over a year since Sehun's mother was killed right before his eyes. The hell is not over.

"I want there to be something as pure and good inside my heart as there was in yours", Sehun says, and with those words he bursts into tears. Luhan kneels next to him and hugs him, to warm him up and to make him feel better. And to make himself feel better. He tries to stay strong for the other, he tries to keep in his own tears that feel like they would freeze right on his cheeks after pouring out from his eyes.

There's a cold wind that howls highly in the air like a wolf for the full moon. There is only a few others in the cemetery with them, grieving for their lost ones. Some of them are crying like Sehun, some of them just stare at the gravestones blankly.

"Her death... The kidnapping... The torture..." Sehun starts as he looks up at his boyfriend, his voice sounding like his nose was stuffed. The other stares at the gravestone. "And meeting you... All of those things... Have made me an entirely different person."

Luhan turns to look at his boyfriend in the eyes. He looks so sad. He's never seen anything as sad in his entire life, not even his little sister.

"I am sure you are very much like you were before. From what I've heard, you were strong enough to stand on your own feet. Now you need me to hold you. But that's okay, everyone needs someone to hold them every once in a while."

Sehun snuggles on Luhan's side and takes a deep breath, whispering, "I do need you."

A moment of silence fell between them. Not awkward, but the good kind of silence. The silence you needed for a situation like this. For sitting in front of your mother's grave. A week ago they were having fights about religion but now, everything is okay between them. They will work out their problems as they cross them.

"Your sister's grave is here?" Sehun asks. Luhan nods slowly. "Do you want to visit her?"

Luhan stands up slowly and offers his hand for Sehun. The latter accepts this gesture and gets up with him, now drying his tears.

"You don't have to dry them. I will look manlier if you're the one who cries more."

Sehun chuckles, "Even in a situation like this, you make jokes."

"It's not a joke, it's a fact that happens to sound a bit funny", Luhan exclaims and Sehun just softly punches his side. "I mean I won't look manly if I'm crying."

"Manly doesn't mean anything. It's just a word. In year 2016, it shouldn't mean anything anymore."

"...I guess you have a point. I don't even think it's manly to hide one's feelings."

"That's the man I fell in love with."

They walk up the cemetery to a gravestone that has three names. Luhan's whole family, all lying under the ground. There are pictures of them too. Luhan kneels before the gravestone and lights a candle before it.

"I don't even believe in this. But I... wish I could see you once more. If there is such thing as heaven. But I don't believe in heaven... so I guess that I should let you go for good. And if there is such thing as heaven, such thing as hell, and if ghosts do exist... then I hope... that we will not end up in the same place. Because heaven is not for me", he exhales. Sehun places his hand on his shoulder.

Luhan shudders, shrugs and gets up immediately. He turns to Sehun who looks at him sadly, but keeps his look on the ground.

"I am not the kind of person to get emotional while talking to objects. The memories of meimei just rush in my mind. I remember taking her to school with me with my motorcycle, she so often complained about how cold the wind was. She always grabbed on my waist and pulled me close, kept us both warm. I... miss how she complained about her classmates in our favorite Chinese restaurant. We could talk Chinese with the shop owners. It was... everything to me."

Sehun takes Luhan into a tight hug and Luhan immediately hugs him back. He leans his head on Sehun's shoulder and finally lets the tears roll down his cheeks. Sehun would shush him but he can't stop crying either.

"I don't want to remember", Luhan whispers. "I don't want to think what me and her were like right now. I don't want to imagine how good life she would have got."

Sehun shakes his head, "Me neither... Me neither... I don't want to think of what would life be like right now if all those things didn't happen... There is only one direction to go right now, and it is forward."

***

The steps echo on the floor. The jail is rather empty at this time of the year. Luhan has his uniform on and a black leather jacket on it. The keys jingle in his hands and some drunk people try to reach for them. But these are not for them, these are only for the officer. And he can't let anybody out, only let himself in.

It's already evening, it's dark outside. The windows in the jail are barred so that no one would get out, or in. In the back of the room a man is laying on a mattress, trying to catch some sleep. But Luhan won't let him. Other people behind the bars are either so drunk or far away that they won't understand anything that Luhan is about to do to this man. Other officers are not here, right now they have a break.

Luhan jingles his keys and the man laying on the mattress immediately raises his head. His eyes widen for a moment before squinting again as he sees the devilish man seeking for his attention like he was an animal. The officer makes it very clear with only his looks that he is on top of the situation and the inmate has no other choice but to submit.

He sits up and glares at the cop, grunting, "What do you want?"

"I want you to tell me who is your boss."

"Isn't that supposed to happen in the interrogation room?"

"Do you really want to be in the interrogation room with me?" Luhan raises an eyebrow and the man looks at him from head to toes. 

"You're that cop who's dating that slut", the slur rolls from his tongue like he was used to calling him that. "And who gives you the permission to do so?"

"We are two consenting adults. We can do what we want together."

The man laughs, "Me and him were too. We did what we wanted to do."

"Are you talking about my boyfriend or the man who committed these horrible crimes with you?" Richard grunts.

"Dmitri was never interested in laying himself on that twink. He didn't know what I did."

"You worked behind his back in order to rape my boyfriend. And what exactly did it give you? Physical pleasure for a few minutes?" Now Richard stands up from his place and walks up to the officer. Luhan looks at him with an unamused look on his face, but on the inside he's mentally slamming this guy's head to the wall until his brain are splattered across the room. Richard smiles and it makes Luhan feel sick. "Tell me where Dmitri is."

"Do you have any idea what kind of powers your _boyfriend_ possesses? They're unworldly. He is unworldly."

"I know, he is quite the catch. Tell me where your partner is."

Richard chuckles out of nervousness and shakes his head, "If I knew, I would tell you where that piece of shit was. But he left me. He said I fucked up for fucking our suspect." Luhan can feel his sincerity.

"He's not wrong."

"Why are you even a cop? You're so small and weak", Richard exclaims and then starts talking with a very quiet voice. "Are you aware that your boyfriend has inhuman powers? Did you know that he has... superpowers?"

Luhan wants to strangle him so bad. But he just smiles mischievously. 

"Me? Small and weak?" He now by invisible force throws the mattress in Richard's cell on him. The man looks at him with wide eyes. Then Luhan starts to crush his head by invisible force and the man falls on the ground, holding his head and keeping in his screams. "You really have no idea what you're talking about. You had the wrong guy for all those months. I am the one you were looking for. I am the one you should have raped. But instead, you did so to an innocent, most nicest human being who I happen to love. Isn't this a coincidence?"

The man looks up at his blank face and seems to be pleading. Luhan can see, feel, that he is in horrible agony. He doesn't care.

"Tell me where your boss is. Who is he? Where can I find him?"

"I'm... not... going to... tell you... He will... kill me..."

"A man with a lot of power over you. Must be someone who is rather dominant. Is he big?"

Luhan reads the man's mind and sees the image of when he was holding Sehun and their boss shot his mother. He closes his eyes for a moment. He did not want to see that. Then there is a man with a scar on his cheek, a black coat on him.

"He is rather short, but strong, he has a scar on his cheek. Where is this man? The pain he can give you will be nothing compared to the pain I will give you if you don't tell me where he is."

"He's... talked... to you... about... us..."

"I saw his memories with my own head. What you did to him can never be forgiven. Not even if you did this in the fear of your boss. Now tell me where he is or I will dig your fucking eyes out of your head."

Richard is almost panicking, he feels the pain on his eyes and as he does, tears start rolling down his cheeks.

"He lives... in Seoul..." Luhan lets go a little so the man can speak. "He... has a mansion in Gangnam... You can find him there... His name is... Takanori Sekemoto... His house... is registered with... his name..."

Luhan's eyes widen as he hears a Japanese name. That was unexpected.

"Sekemoto?" Richard nods. Then Luhan lets go and the other falls on the ground. "You don't tell anyone about this or otherwise worse things will be happening to you, alright?"

Richard nods again in fear. He now goes back to the corner of the room, looking at Luhan with big and shocked eyes.

"You are safe here. Don't try to go away from here. Some day, I will bring Sehun to you again and make him beat the shit out of you."

"Do you not even know your very own boyfriend?" Richard asks while panting. "You know his kind heart. You know he's like his mother, even though they are not related by blood. You know their hearts are big, unlike yours. You know that he would not be strong enough to do that, nor would he want to."

Luhan turns around and walks away, thinking of his words in his mind. It's embarrassing that a rapist is more right than he is. 

 


	34. God of Paris

Major trigger warning.

____

"You wanted things to be simple."

She takes a sip of her coffee and looks at the officer before her. Her eyes bore into his mind, but the other can read her thoughts loud and clear.

"You're a moron."

"I hear that", he replies.

"You threatened to kill a man in jail while the cameras were out. That is not how you operate."

"But you have no idea how I operate", Luhan says with a cold voice, making the woman with long brown hair before him scared. She tries to keep her cool, she's fought tough men. Luhan would be an exception, though. He is supernatural. 

"Does your boss, either?" she asks and makes Luhan silent immediately. "Sean would never approve such behavior. I have met him more than once."

"Do you work for the police? You seem to know a lot."

The lady stands up and walks to the window. She takes a deep breath. Her long brown hair lands on her back. The snow outside is painting the streets white.

"My girlfriend is working with you. She tells me things. You might have seen me in one of polices' award ceremonies or something of the like. You might have seen me by her side. And your boyfriend, I know him... He is an old friend of mine."

Luhan looks at him with wide eyes now, much softer. When she is backwards to him, he cannot listen to all her thoughts. Does she know that? Probably not.

"I don't do this job because I want, because I enjoy it. I do it because there is nothing else I could do. Besides, I'm good at fighting."

The officer doesn't really care for her stories. He stands up and slams his hands against the desk. The lady does not turn around and doesn't seem to be impressed.

"I don't have time for this. Here's how this goes. You let me inside to talk with Takanori Sekemoto and no one gets hurt", Luhan intimidates. And then the woman turns around to look at him in the eyes.

"Except you, officer Lu", she replies, squinting her eyes. "You do not want to see him now. He is packing his stuff right now and has a flight this evening. He is going back to Japan for a month, and then come back to Seoul. He must not be bothered today."

"I need to see him", Luhan slams his hands against the desk again. The room he's in, the first room in Takanori's mansion with this secretary, is starting to get to him. "Now!"

"I know what happened to Sehun. I know about the forces, my boss won't shut up about you. But listen. I want to help you. I am the only person in this mansion cleaning up and organizing his files while he's in Japan. When he is gone, one day this month I will grant you the permission to go through all of his stuff."

Luhan's eyes are widened and he looks at the lady with shock. He didn't expect her to give him so much information.

"Does this... have a catch?"

"I only need you to do one thing", she says when taking a few steps forward. "Tell Sehun that Irene said hi. I wish to see him and speak to him privately."

The cop nods his head a few times and they shake hands. After that he leaves the mansion, without the thing he wanted but getting something better instead.

***

His mind was succumbed in guilt. Not being there for her and for killing all those people - innocent, and those whose hands were stained with blood. They didn't do anything to him, yet it seemed like they had committed horrible crimes against him.

He rose his head up to see himself in the mirror. Water froze under his touch. The whole bathroom was taken by a cold breeze. Fridges full of humans were the coffins in ground that was layered with ice. Coffins of his enemies and the innocents in the frozen soil. 

The guilt had made him rot inside. There was nothing that could save him anymore. Playing tough with never letting the guard down took its toll on his health, both mentally and physically, and he wanted to end it all. Why did the world have to punish him?

_God doesn't make mistakes. Then why did he make me?_

Those words Luhan said echoed in his mind. Why would a loving god make a person like Minseok, whose touch made people run away from him, whose heart had frozen, whose mind was in the past? The life right here and now was not real, he often told himself. It's not real. Nothing's real.

But when he goes outside and touches the snow with his bare hands, he knows - it's all here just because. No meaning. Just cause. No destination. Just present. And not having a meaning, not having a destination, just stumbling in this world for no good reason... makes him feel alive. It doesn't mean anything, it just is.

Those calming thoughts make Minseok smile.

The bathroom door is knocked and he turns around to see Luhan peeking inside.

"You done adoring yourself? I'm looking for Sehun", he says, sounding excited. Minseok just shrugs. 

"Haven't seen him today."

"Dammit. Where could he be?"

"I heard he wanted to be alone. Maybe he's on a walk."

"...Okay... maybe..." Luhan leaves the room with a slam of the door. Minseok just sighs deeply. There are scars on his body. Ones that never fully heal. His body temperature is often too low.

He walks downstairs where he sees Tao and Kris laying on top of each other, sleeping peacefully, all their limbs tangled. Kai is making cross stitches on the other couch, listening to meditating music. Seems like a cozy home. Feels like home, too. Luhan is walking around the house, looking for his boyfriend. He is definitely the father, Minseok wonders. Always looking for his lost stars.

When Minseok opens the front door, Kai immediately looks up. Minseok turns to look at him and smile faintly.

"Yixing went out today. You going on a date too?" he wonders. Minseok looks at him dumbfounded.

"I am definitely not going on a date. I'm going out to feel one with the world around me", he replies. Kai smiles kind of sadly.

"Remember to take care of yourself."

"Kai, did you see if Sehun went out?" Luhan asks, and Kai nods.

"Yes, he went on a walk around an hour ago. I wonder when he's coming back. You should stop worrying, he's just on a walk."

"He usually never leaves home", Luhan freaks out while walking in a circle.

"Relax, dude", Minseok tries to calm him down but more like sarcastically.

"He did say something about your last home. Maybe he's heading there?"

"I'm on my way", he says and before I can even get out of his way, he's out the house. Mister Cat meows behind me. Then he purrs on my feet before walking to Kris and Tao and jumping on them. He literally falls down to lay himself between the two men and purr on their faces. Kai and Minseok chuckle.

"Minseok", Kai says out loud and makes eye contact with the other. Minseok looks at him with a small smile.

"I know. I will take care of myself."

"Don't beat yourself up for the past."

Minseok's smile drops and he looks more serious, "One day we will all be judged for our actions. One way or another. I am a murderer, cold-blooded, literally, there is no way around that."

Kai blinks a few times when looking at the man he has crushed on. Minseok feels an emotional connection with Kai, but something is lacking. Something, some... innocence. The innocence that reminds him of his little sister. Kai was a drug addict who still gets some shakes for not getting his amphetamine. 

"How's your sister and her family?" Minseok asks.

"...They're... very happy when I'm not around."

"Depressing."

"Reality is."

"That's even more depressing", Minseok sighs when looking at the ground. He's been wasting time at the door to just be around Kai for too long, that he finally takes a step forward. "I will see you again tonight."

"See you."

Minseok closes the door and first takes a deep breath in. Reality, depressing. Live your head in the clouds. In drugs or in escapism, they're the same thing. Facing the reality has never really been something that Minseok looks forward to. In the reality he's living in, no one loves him. No one truly cares. There's just Kai, who has a minor crush on him, comfort for cold nights and the hot ones too. Then there's Sehun who cares for all people, kind of, but too worked up in his own worries. Minseok feels sad for the boy. Youth taken away from him.

Then there are Kris and Tao, who are just okay friends with everyone except each other. They are just on each other all the time. And Yixing, too kind to be friends with. He would not listen to Minseok's depressing life story. No one would. It's too depressing, not just a little.

And Luhan... he lost his little sister too. But look at him. Bad things happening in his life hasn't made him a huge fuck-up like Minseok. He quit studying. Lived life on the edge on others' wings. Worked as an assassin, killed for fun and for bounty. No one loved him, it was easier that way for him and the others.

Bad things happening in his life do not give him the permission to be a bad person, yet there he was. Just standing in front of people make him feel like a bad person. He looks at someone in the eyes and wonders how far and how quickly would they run if they knew the sins he had committed.

Is that past? Can it be left in the past? Minseok feels the past in the present all the time, like a weight sitting on his chest and slowly crushing him. No one gets out alive.

There is going to be an end to this hell someday. Not maybe in this life. Minseok doesn't believe in second chance, though. He is a psychopath, a murderer - and there is no excuse for what he has done. 

He stops walking in front of a theater. Musical? The poster has a picture of a man singing. About being different. About hiding.

Minseok laughs dryly and someone walking past him looks at him like a weirdo. What does this man know about hiding? What does he know about pain?

"Faux", he hitches. But as he sees people entering the theater, his interest is caught. A child pulls on her mother's sleeve and walks towards the theater doors. She reaches to the door, but mother pulls her away.

"Umma! Let me see Baekhyun oppa!"

"No! It's too expensive for us, you know that..."

When seeing children whine like that, mothers whining back at them, these innocent people taking their family and care for granted... Minseok just wants to be the person to make them realize how fucking lucky they are. He would take the mother away from her children, beat the crap out of her...

"Umma!"

No, no... These thoughts.... These irrational thoughts... Are what brought Minseok on the verge of destruction. He should not be here, in the middle of people. He should be locked up for eternity and tortured to death. That's what he knows.

"I said no!"

How can he even be free with all this guilt? There is no way out of it, just pretend... that he has never killed anyone innocent because he just hated the way they whined.

 

_"I told you to shut up."_

_"Xiumin, don't you think that this dress is better than the other one?"_

_"I seriously don't give a shit."_

_"...When do you? I have been with you for five months now, and all you do is go out and... I don't even know what you're doing! You tell me to shut up and treat me like trash! You're too harsh on me! I have feelings, you know..."_

_"And I don't? Maybe it fucks me up to listen to your whining!"_

_"...Then why don't you leave me...?"_

_"...Because I love you?"_

_"...Bullshit."_

 

Is there ever a good time to right wrongs?

Minseok walks to the mother. He looks at her with a faint smile before kneeling down to the child who now hides behind her mother a little bit.

"Do you want to see Baekhyun oppa? I have enough money for the both of you."

"Uhm... I don't know... Who even are you?"

"I am a friend", Minseok says when looking back at the mother with a faint smile. The mother looks at him with a concerned look on her face. He is creepy. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you."

"Usually when someone says that, they are going to hurt." Now the mother takes the child and walks away from Minseok. He looks back at the walking away, biting his lips in anger. Dammit. He would have killed that bitch and made sure that little girl never whined again-

No. That's not what he should do. That is definitely something he should not do.

...He... shouldn't...

 

_"I didn't lie to you, I swear!"_

_"Liar!"_

_"What has gotten into you? Why are you like this? I am going to call my parents, and you're going to prison!"_

_"Mathieu, Mathieu... you saw me dragging the bag, didn't you?"_

_"I-I-I di-din't, I swear!"_

_"Of course you did. Why else would you be so fucking afraid of me?!"_

_"Maybe because you're abusive!"_

 

"You have major problems", a man says to Minseok when seeing him stare at the mother and child who rush away from him. He takes a hit of his cigarette before taking the carton from his pocket. "Want some?"

Minseok looks at him weirdly. There's an unusual aura radiating from him. Unusually calm yet thundery at the same time. There is something special about this man, and he feels it.

As he just stares, the man puts the carton back in his pocket.

"I guess not."

Minseok stands up and walks to the man who smiles at him a little. That's the warmest smile he has ever seen.

"You're the man in the poster."

"That I am, Kim Jongdae, one of the best singers in the whole country. I have performed in several stages and various TV programs with my partners Baekhyun and Chanyeol", he exclaims, seemingly proud about his career. What career does Minseok have? Assassin? Dealer?

"What do you know about pain?" Minseok asks, sounding serious. This question makes Jongdae confused.

"What do I know about pain? Hmm... Well... I know about hiding. And I know about the self-hate about hiding, the dark depression and anxiety behind it. I know the death of my mother. Cancer took her."

"That's not pain. That's life", Minseok hisses. Jongdae raises and eyebrow at this. "My parents treated me like a dog, my father died in alcohol poisoning and my mother withered in the bottom of her bed after that. My little sister was murdered. I went to Paris to kill those bastards, but do you know who I killed instead? Innocent people who annoyed the fuck out of me."

Jongdae takes a step back, to go nearer the door.

"You have major problems. I said that already. Major, major issues."

"I'm a lunatic."

"Do you want me to take care of it?"

Minseok looks at him dumbfounded before replying, "You mean..."

"Mean what?"

"...Get rid of me."

Jongdae looks at the other before him with really sad eyes.

"That's the most depressing thing I have ever heard. I meant, I can make you feel a little bit better."

"Was that a flirt?"

"What? No, goodness, no. I don't really like anything sex-related. Not that I'm in it for the romance either. But my friend, Chanyeol, he can make the gloomiest person smile again. No matter how bad your situation is."

"My situation is worse than the worst."

"Then you have come to the right place", Jongdae smiles when throwing away his cigarette and wrapping his arm around the man, walking into the theater with a big grin on his face. Minseok doesn't even want to get away from this man. He is the most calming person he's ever met.

 

_"Xiumin... I am sorry..."_

_"Stop saying sorry to me. There is nothing to apologize for."_

_"Then why are you doing this...? I-I... can't... breathe..."_

_"...I am the one who should apologize to you. Or, to your family. For taking you away from them like this, cold-bloodedly."_

_"X-... mi-..."_

_"That's what I remember her lips saying right before they cut her throat open, when they raped her till death. You should be fucking lucky that I am not going to do either of those things. My arms are stronger than yours, and in my hands, you will let out your last breath, plead for your life, and your parents will knock at my door, scream at me, beg me to give them their son back... but you'll be dead, and nobody's going to hurt you anymore. Aren't I merciful? Aren't I the best lover ever? I know, that deep inside your heart, you really, really wanted to die... Aren't I just the best boyfriend, ever..."_

 

And in his hands Mathieu took his last breath, Minseok left the body after kissing him on the lips, and running away as quickly as he could to the place no one could ever find him from. And there he judged people's actions whether they were good or bad, there he was the god. Serving his cold fists and breath to those who did not deserve it, and to those who did. It was equality, and he was the terror of Paris. The god of Paris.

***

Luhan slams the door of his old home close and runs to the bedroom. There he sees his boyfriend, laying and crying on the bed while grabbing the sheets, sobbing on them. He is in major pain.

This just pains Luhan's heart as he runs to his boyfriend and tries to raise him up, but to no avail. Sehun cries in pain and whines. 

"Sehun? Are you alright? Kai told me that you wanted to be alone and came here, but I had some things to tell you. About Richard and Dmitri and the... third guy. Sehun?"

Sehun does not seem to care as he is crying too much. Luhan's eyes widen when he sees something moving under Sehun's shirt on his back. He reaches to his jacket and tries to gently take it off. There is movement under his shirt... and bird feathers. Sehun cries in horrible pain, unable to move, unable to speak.

"Sehun... What is wrong? There is something... on your back."

Luhan is able to take off Sehun's shirts to just be horribly shocked about the image before him. He stares at his lover with wide eyes, unable to add anything wise to this. Sehun is in so much pain that he can't speak, hiding his face, covering himself from the world.

Luhan shakes his head, "This can't be real..."

What he sees right before him, is Sehun, but with big wings on his back. Like swan. 

"You are... an actual angel", Luhan says before laying before his lover, now caressing his arms and trying to make him feel a little bit better both physically and mentally. "You know, we would have pain killers at home..."

The younger does not seem to care as he snaps Luhan in his arms and hugs the air out of him. He lands his aching wings on both of them. In a weird, magical way, Luhan feels really secure.

 


	35. Don't Enjoy

Luhan slowly opens his eyes to find himself laying in bed in their former house, Sehun in his arms. The younger one snuggles closer to Luhan, breathing in his scent. Luhan wraps him tighter in his embrace.

"Morning, sunshine", the older one says when placing a soft kiss on Sehun's head. The latter smiles, but when he moves again, his eyes start watering from the pain that's radiating from his back to his whole body. "Easy, easy."

"It hurts."

"I see that."

"It hurts so much I want to die."

Luhan places another kiss on Sehun's head before taking a little distance, just to find Sehun grabbing on his shirt for his dear life. He can't even look at his boyfriend in the eyes, can't move his head. That's how much in pain he is right now.

"Is there anything that I could give you? Anything that would make you feel a little less pained?" Luhan asks, trying his best to not sound panicked. But of course he is, his boyfriend is withering in pain!

"...Anything... would be good right now..." Sehun manages to breathe out. Luhan goes through all his pockets, just to find nothing but an old receipt for soda. 

"Dammit... Well, I have painkillers at home. They're described for me for headaches, but I believe they should do the trick." Luhan kneels next to the bed and takes Sehun's hands in his own. He can't stop worrying. "Can you wait here when I get them?"

"...Don't leave me..."

"But Sehun, I need something to help you with. The others don't have a way to get here. Walking would take an hour."

"...Suho..." Sehun manages to say. Luhan then realizes that Suho is with Yerim, who should know what to do. She is the one who's connected to all of them, isn't she?

"I will call Suho. Wait a second." Luhan finds the said man's number from his contacts and presses the call button. He presses the phone against his ear while caressing the back of Sehun's hand, listening to his faint whimpers. His heart aches.

After four beeps, the phone is answered. It's not Suho who's answering, though, it's Yerim.

 _"Hi, Luhan"_ , she says with her pure voice. Luhan thanks god in his mind when he hears her voice. Even though... he doesn't believe in one...

"Yerim... Sehun... he's... in pain." Well, that's informative.

_"Pain? What kind of pain are we talking about?"_

"He's... got wings on his back..." A moment of silence in the other end of the line. Luhan almost panics when the girl stays quiet.

_"Oh... This is not good..."_

"H-how is it not good?"

Hearing those words from Luhan's mouth, Sehun feels his heart clenching. There's something wrong with him? He does have wings on his back, that does sound bad.

_"Because that means that she is doing something with the other world... something is changing. The time is coming closer..."_

"Yerim you're kind of creeping me out", Luhan exclaims. "How can I make Sehun feel less pained?"

 _"You can't. There is nothing that could help him when she's adjusting the other world but to wait. I'm sorry. It might take a day, it might take a week. After he's adjusted to his other form, he can change back and forth with being his other form and being a human"_ , Yerim explains. 

"Who are you talking about? Who is she?" Luhan asks as his head tries to wrap around everything he just heard.

 _"The witch"_ , Yerim says, and to that Luhan no more knows what to say. That is very ominous.

"...There has to be a way to make Sehun feel less pain, right?"

_"No, there is literally no way that could make him feel any better. You just have to stay inside and keep him company. One by one, you will all feel what he is feeling. Your pain is different, but it is great. And you shouldn't expect anyone to stand beside you while you suffer."_

That's pretty depressing.

"Who hurt you?"

_"...Luhan... You will also feel what Sehun is feeling right now... No, you'll feel it much worse, much horrible, all the time... When the time comes, just stay strong, okay? I don't want to lose you."_

"You're actually creeping me out."

_"That's what the forces do. Scare people."_

"Why can't you be clear about anything you're saying?"

_"I don't know. Why aren't you taking care of your boyfriend?"_

Luhan looks beside him to see Sehun hugging himself, crying in pain. He takes his hand in his.

"You're right. I'll talk to you later, Yerim."

_"Okay."_

With that, Yerim ends the call. It's just like he had a little sister again. The same innocence and youth that Lifen had... it's like he saw it all in Yerim once again. Her cute face and long hair... her wide eyes and fair, soft skin. Just like Lifen...

His heart aches. Especially when hearing the sad sobs of his boyfriend.

"...She said... that you'll be in more pain than me..." Sehun says. "I heard..."

Luhan gulps. "Don't worry. I will get through it."

"...I'm dying in pain, Luhan. You're going to die in the pain, you're going to die."

"Come on, don't say that..." the older one tries to defend himself, but honestly, he doesn't know if he'll be alive either. "I'll get through it. I've gone this far, I will go further."

"...Are you saying that I am weak?"

"I did not say that!"

"You thought about that... But you can't imagine this..." Sehun takes a deep breath and cries more. Luhan takes him in his arms and leans against the headboard. "You're glad I can't push you away from me right now."

"No. I'm not glad about that. I never want to see you hurting."

"...Luhan..."

"Can you tell me why you came here? All the way to our house?"

"...I... was feeling that there was something wrong with me... and I was in pain, and wanted to be alone... When I came here, these just... they just... appeared..."

Luhan hums lightly. Sehun is not wearing a shirt. His back is bleeding... the bed is in blood. The older one caresses his aching back.

"We have to go home", he exclaims. Sehun shakes his head.

"This is home. With you. And Mister and Miss Cat..."

"We will return here one day, I promise you that. This will be our home... We don't need more. But you need to eat something... or you will hurt even more."

Sehun keeps still shaking his head, not very clear about his surroundings.

***

Dust flows in the air and lands on Minseok's face. He bats his eyelashes, head hurting a little bit. What did he do last night?

He tries to reach for something next to him, phone maybe, he heard a notification bling, but only to caress someone's face with his hand. Where... who... what? Someone groans right next to him.

Oh... wait, who was this guy again? What was his name? And why does he look so good, even when he just wakes up?

Minseok sits up. He and the other man are only wearing underwear. The other guy is also wearing a top. He sits up too, smiling at Minseok. Minseok could see his own dark circles under his eyes mirroring from the other's face.

The room is not familiar to him.

"Hmm... I'm usually not into this kind of stuff... but you were... okay..." Jongdae sighs. "It's not that I enjoy it. But I enjoyed being around you."

"...You don't enjoy... sex?" Minseok asks and Jongdae looks away, blushing. Then shakes his head. Minseok raises his brows. How could someone not enjoy sex? It's one of the only things he finds interest in anymore.

"I never really... I mean... it's not something I'm interested in... never have been. I feel like I just sometimes... want to do it because I want to feel connected to someone... and you happened to be the someone this time..."

"...I kind of get where you're coming from", Minseok admits. "But not really. It's a pastime for me."

"You're a filthy person, Minseok", Jongdae chuckles. "I kind of like that."

Minseok shakes his head and grins when getting up. But apparently, he does so too fast and immediately sits back. Jongdae laughs at him and jumps on his back.

"You drank too much, silly. Don't throw up in my bed, though!"

"...Why did we... even... do it?" Minseok asks. Jongdae sits back, a bit hurt by this.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're not even my type... You don't even like sex... Why did this happen, then?"

"Because you were lonely... And I was lonely... And you needed company", Jongdae purrs, playing his fingers on Minseok's biceps. The latter just stares at his skinny fingers.

"...I was pretty fucked up last night."

"You were really fucked up. You told me how you killed your ex-boyfriend and how your little sister was murdered. You told me how Paris looks like... how it feels like to be in the Eiffel tower."

Minseok smiles to himself. He did tell all this to Jongdae, didn't he?

"...And you are not afraid of me?"

"...No. You told me something... very important, too. About... The Twelve Forces."

Minseok mentally slaps himself. How could he have such a big mouth? No one should know about the Twelve Forces, no one! He turns around to look at Jongdae in the eyes. The latter looks at him from under his eyebrows.

"The Twelve Forces?"

"Me... Baekhyun... and Chanyeol... are all part of the Twelve Forces, too. Don't think of yourself so highly. We are not so different, you and I."

"Not so different? Pff. Everything in my life has been shit."

"...Well... that you are right about... from what you told me... I at least had parents, and my two best friends, Chanyeol and Baekhyun..." Jongdae exclaims, his eyes going through every corner of his room. "Anyway. I'm going to make us some breakfast. Want some? You should see Baekhyun and Chanyeol again. By the way, they're dating, so don't you be ashamed of yourself or about anything we did last night."

"Oh. Are they used to this?"

"No, definitely not", Jongdae chuckles as he stands up, walking to the bedroom door. "You may want to put something on, though."

Minseok takes his pants from the floor and slowly puts them on. Then he takes his shirt and puts it on too, then he's off to the kitchen where Jongdae is making coffee and two gentlemen are sitting at the table. They're looking at each other, laughing at something. Were Chanyeol's jokes that funny again?

The two immediately turn to look at him when he walks down to the table, mischievous smirks rising on both their faces.

"Ohh, was it that kind of visit? Well, we didn't hear anything!" Baekhyun exclaims, raising his hands as to show his innocence. Chanyeol does the same. Jongdae threatens to smack them with a pan he just took from the cabinet to cook some eggs.

"Come on, guys! You know I don't... I mean you... you know..." Jongdae mutters when he hesitantly walks back to his stove. Chanyeol and Baekhyun laugh, but Minseok is totally lost with everything that's happening.

"Did you have a nice evening, Minseok? Didn't drink too much?" Baekhyun questions from the one who rubs his eyes to wake up. It's doomed, though, it's not going to help him at all.

"Well, I don't remember last evening, so I guess I drank just about the right amount", he claims. Chanyeol starts to clap for him.

"And you don't even look like you're hungover... I salute you", he makes honor to the other. Minseok shakes his head and sighs.

"I've never been hungover. I mean, at least I don't think I have... I don't remember throwing up or feeling like the end of the world was coming after drinking."

Baekhyun and Chanyeol's jaws drop. They can't believe what their ears are hearing.

"You... don't... get hungover?" Baekhyun chirps. "Who are you?!"

"...Well, you could say... I have supernatural powers", Minseok chuckles. Baekhyun and Chanyeol glance at each other, then at Jongdae, seeking for affirmation. Jongdae nods his head and the two jump up from their seats.

"Let me guess!" Chanyeol enthusiastically yells while pointing at Minseok who smiles at him. "Wind!"

"No! It has to be ice! You're so freaking cold!" Baekhyun says. 

"Baekhyun was right. I do control ice, frost, snow... everything that is... cold."

"If you can control everything that's cold, can you control Baekhyun's heart too?" Chanyeol wonders, and to this his boyfriend turns to look at him to show his bored expression.

"My. Heart. Is. Not. Cold!" Baekhyun yells and threatens to throw something at his boyfriend, but the latter crouches and covers his head.

"This is getting violent", Jongdae butts in. "Baekhyun, put the donut down!"

"But Jongdae!"

"I don't care! Just put the donut down and settle this like grown adults that you pretend to be!"

"No!" Chanyeol jumps back up, now pointing at Minseok again. "Guess, what powers we all have!"

"Hmm... Well, you know, I live with six other members of the forces... and then I know one, who isn't living with us."

"What! That's so many!" Baekhyun whines. Minseok nods his head in approval. "Is that all of us?"

"No, I'm afraid one of us is still missing. Now that I found all of you... we're much more closer to our destination. But, let's see, the powers... we have frost, teleportation, telekinesis, wind, flying, time, healing, water... and what are missing are fire, earth, thunder and light. What basic elements we are missing."

"Well, can you guess, which ones are we?" Baekhyun asks, now sitting back at the table and taking a bite of his donut. Minseok sits back at his chair and thinks about the possibilities for a while.

"Hmm... Baekhyun, fire. Chanyeol, earth. And Jongdae... thunder!" he exclaims, sounding like a know-it-all. Well, the truth is, he doesn't know anything. Just guesses.

"You got one right!" Jongdae says happily. "It's me, I'm thunder!"

"I'm light. And Chanyeol is fire", Baekhyun tells. "I mean, you should've guessed, don't I look like the light of the place?"

Minseok rolls his eyes. "What do you even do with light?"

"I can blind you. I won't need batteries in the dark."

"That sounds wrong", Minseok says and Baekhyun is about to smack him with a donut.

"Comes handy", Chanyeol says and winks at his boyfriend who grunts. The conversation turned sexual yet again, even though he really tries not to.

"Anyway, here's some scrambled eggs", Jongdae offers Minseok who almost flips on his chair. "Enjoy your breakfast."

Minseok smiles and thanks him. He then suddenly remembers that he has other business to attend to. Like, Kai. Kai... is he wondering where Minseok is? Why does he care? He doesn't want to care... Kai is not his soulmate. But this Jongdae guy... the pull he feels towards him is... irresistible. 

And he cannot but wonder, where did Sehun go last night? And where went all his thoughts about suicide and self-harm, his ex-boyfriend who he brutally murdered? And are these guys... so okay with that?

He has major problems. But... these guys act like he's any other person.

Minseok takes a mouthful of the scrambled eggs. This is what he's been wanting all along. A fresh start. To be treated... like a human being.

 


	36. Angel

Luhan had no choice but to take Sehun in the backseat and drive him home, no matter how much the other resisted. He drove his car into the garage so no one could see Sehun's huge wings.

The worry of the other members is great when they see their friend's back bleeding. Especially Kai's, who immediately runs to them to hold Sehun. He starts to cry just from seeing his friend in such pain. Sehun whimpers and grunts in pain. Right now he doesn't really care that the others are gazing at him like he was an exhibit at zoo.

"What... is on your back...?" Tao asks, his hand before his mouth. Luhan looks up at him with sad eyes.

"Wings. He is an angel."

All the possible conspiracy theories spice up in everyone's heads. Luhan leads Sehun to the couches and Yixing is quick to bring towels so the fabric wouldn't mess up from blood.

"How could this even be happening?" Kris wonders. Sehun barely even heard him from the tinnitus in his ears. His head hurts, but his back is what hurts the most.

"I called Yerim. She talked about some witch who's adjusting the two worlds. This first transformation into our other form is just a part of us. We all have it. We all will go through what Sehun is going right now", Luhan explains. Every one of them suddenly feels scared and start to baby Sehun. If they're here for each other, then the rest are going to be there for them too, right?

Right?

"You're telling me that we, with our powers, also have an inhuman form?" Tao asks and lets out a huff. Luhan just nods his head.

Yixing cannot but worry. Sehun is bleeding so much. If he bleeds then he's going to die because of hemophilia. But what about Sehun? He's bleeding so much that he's probably going to die from losing too much blood.

"We need to treat his wounds", Yixing says. He sits right next to Sehun and slowly reaches for his back to touch the huge wounds from which the wings are coming from.

Luhan however, stop him before he can do anything. He looks at his ex with dead serious eyes. Yixing looks down in embarrassment.

"This is the only way", he says. "Either way Sehun is going to lose too much blood."

"Don't you ever think about your own health?" Luhan wonders. "If you do this for all of us, you're going to become weak."

"It is the price I have to pay to keep all of you here. All of you matter more to this world than a single me", Yixing says with a soft voice and forcefully pushes Luhan away to place his hand of Sehun's back.

He bites his lips to keep in the sobs and screams - half of the pain Sehun is carrying is greater than he thought. But this is what he has to do - he has to keep all of the members here alive on earth, even if the cost was his own life.

Luhan watches as his ex best friend shares the pain with his boyfriend. This hurts him too much.

Both Sehun and Yixing pass out.

"S-Sehun? Yixing?" Luhan shakes the two, but to no avail. They have closed their eyes and become limb. "Tao, Kris, take care of Yixing. Kai, help me with Sehun."

Just as he's said that, the door into their home is opened.

Minseok walks into the living room with three other men behind him.

Luhan doesn't have time to care about them. He's too busy treating his boyfriend. His main objective right now is to stop the bleeding.

"No hellos?" Minseok jokes, but no one pays attention to any of them. He just huffs before taking a better look at the people around him. When he notices the wings on Sehun's back, his jaw drops. "I thought the scars on his back were from something else."

Luhan glances at him behind him, "You're a dick."

"So are you but you have an angel as a boyfriend. This just shows how unfair the world is", Minseok exclaims before walking to Sehun while Baekhyun, Jongdae and Chanyeol tail behind him. "What happened to him?"

"There's apparently some witch who's adjusting the other world, whatever the hell that means", Luhan tells. He doesn't have time to care about the new faces other than to just boldly say, "I hope your new friends are members of the forces."

"Yes, they are, but I guess that introductions have to wait a moment."

"Let me", Baekhyun says when kneeling next to Sehun. "This one would need a doctor. But right now, we don't have that, so the only thing we can do is to clean the wound and put some pressure around them so the blood stops spilling out. When did he start to bleed?"

Luhan thinks for a moment. He has been so panicked about the whole situation that he feels like he became useless.

"His wings bled a little last night, but it was manageable. When we woke up, however, the whole bed was covered in blood. So somewhere during the night... but he didn't wake up... neither did I..."

"My guess is that the bleeding won't really stop before he's pulled back his wings. I don't and cannot know how that happens", Baekhyun exclaims. Luhan nods his head a couple of times. He feels very, very useless. "Get me towels, disinfectant and water."

Luhan is on it immediately, as well as Kai and Minseok. Kris has now moved to hold Sehun in his arms, showing the younger one's back to Baekhyun.

"I hope that moving his wings won't hurt him", Baekhyun says. Luhan hurries with the things that Baekhyun ordered him to get him and Baekhyun starts treating the wounds.

***

After about an hour of treating Sehun, the bleeding has finally lessened to the point that it's safe to let him be. They leave him on the couch to rest.

"How could this happen?" Kris asks. Everybody just stares at Sehun and Yixing on the couches.

"We're all going to go through what he's going. It's gonna be hard, and it's gonna be horrifying", Luhan states, the others agreeing with him.

"Anyway", Minseok turns everyone's attention to himself. "Here are Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Jongdae. They are part of the forces. I found them by accident... Kind of."

"Oh!" Tao claps his hands together once. "We only have one member left!"

"Yeah, and our other forms, remember?" Luhan ruins it. Everybody's a little depressed about that.

"This will take forever", Tao sighs.

"At the end of forever, there is a light", Baekhyun says. Now everybody's looking at him. "When we can finally fulfill our destiny."

"Oh, yeah, you know about that?" Luhan asks. The three of them nod.

"Our parents were well-informed", Jongdae points out.

"Your parents lived? And are still living?" Tao asks. The three nod again. "Lucky bastards."

"You're probably the only ones whose parents are still alive", Luhan says.

"Well my mother is dead, though", Jongdae points out.

"Aren't Yixing's parents alive though?" Kris asks.

"Oh, right", Luhan sighs. "I don't actually know. He never told us."

***

Sehun grunts. Luhan is right next to him, and immediately when he hears Sehun make a noise, he jumps up.

"Sehun? How are you feeling?"

"...Like my whole back was dying", Sehun whines. Luhan sits next to him and caresses his back gently.

"It will get better, don't worry."

"I doubt it."

Luhan sighs. He just caresses his hair and tries to make him feel better in any way that he can. All these scars on his back... Now everybody has seen them. Now everybody know about the horrible things that happened to him...

Even these new members. Those that shouldn't have known in the first place.

Minseok walks to the room with Luhan. Luhan just glances at him.

"How's our brave boy doing?" he asks. Luhan scoffs.

"Since when have you been encouraging, and talking?" he wonders. Minseok thinks a moment to himself.

"Since I was happy. Since I met Jongdae."

"Is he... your partner?" Luhan asks and Minseok nods.

"Kind of... We both feel the pull towards each other."

"So it is true then. That we have our partner in the forces. And mine is in immense pain", Luhan says, stroking Sehun's soft hair.

"Yeah, well, you're gonna have to go through that too. And Yixing will probably force himself to go through them all."

"He shouldn't. He'll die if he does this", Luhan worries, but Sehun stops him.

"We all have a destiny, don't we. Why would Yixing have the ability to heal if he wasn't healing us?" he questions, making the two troubled. "He's a strong man. So brave and strong. I do hope that he will be able to come with us to the other world. He's so... admirable. I wish that... he'll be with us... till we die out of old age."

Slowly Sehun's wings start pulling back, making Luhan and Minseok's eyes widen. That must be the most absurd thing that they have ever seen. The wings just... pull back inside his back.

"Okay that was a little creepy", Luhan confesses. Sehun's eyes start watering again.

"It felt a little creepy, too", his voice shivers. Luhan raises him to sit up. The wounds immediately closed when his wings pulled back. Luhan caresses Sehun's face gently and dries the tears that just spilled.

"Don't worry, my angel. The first time hurts the most. After this, it will all be easy."

"That sounds wrong", Minseok chuckles. Luhan glares at him.

"Don't even. He's in immense pain."

"Yes, yes, I understand. I'm just stating the obvious."

"Go practice your power or something", Luhan scoffs.

"You remember that my power works quite well, right? Cause you have seen what I can do with it, right?" Minseok asks. Luhan immediately feels disgusted. Right. Minseok was that kind of guy.

"Just leave us be now." Minseok shrugs and leaves the two alone. Just then someone's at the door. It's Suho. He runs to Yixing immediately and hugs his unconscious body. There is something there.

Poor Suho, Luhan thinks. His pain will be the greatest, for he's in love with the healer.


	37. Old Friend

"I almost forgot..." Luhan says when walking up to Sehun. The younger one looks up at him when Luhan doesn't seem to be leaving. "I visited your mother's killer's mansion. His name is Takanori Sekemoto."

Sehun's eyes widen.

"Japanese?"

"It surprised me, too."

Everybody else in the room now look at the too. Even Yixing who's laying on the other couch while being babysat by Suho. He's dying in worry about Yixing's health.

"The secretary... She gave me the permission to search his mansion while he's in Japan. I mean, he's in Japan right now", Luhan explains, but everyone in the room are hesitating. Luhan can literally feel it. "I know, I know, you're thinking about what's the catch. The catch is that she is an old friend of Sehun's. Her name is Irene."

Sehun immediately jumps up and walks to Luhan. The older one can see the sincere yearning in his eyes.

"Let's go. Right now. I want to see her."

"Were you two close?" Jongdae asks. "Like... you know..."

"We were children. She was like my big sister", Sehun explains and everyone in the room ohs to that. Kai glares at Jongdae who's sitting next to Minseok, holding his hand like he freaking owned him.

"Yeah, not everything has to do with sex", Kai grunts. Jongdae scoffs and looks at him with squinted eyes. He stands up and Kai stands up immediately too.

"I have been here for one week and you have been treating me like shit the whole time. What the fuck is wrong with you?" Jongdae asks, making Kai just more irritated. Baekhyun and Chanyeol look at them while biting their fists, this drama is juicy. It's pretty hard not to focus on them in the room.

"What's wrong with me? What the hell is wrong with _you_?" Kai asks, emphasizing the last word while pushing Jongdae's chest. "You come out of nowhere and seduce Minseok-"

"Oh so that's what it's about? Minseok?" Jongdae asks, clearly irritated and angered by the other one. Kai feels his cheeks heating up. He wasn't supposed to have feelings for Minseok, then what is this? Why is everybody here with someone except him? 

Well okay there's Yerim too, but Yerim is so young.

Minseok stands up between the two and pushes them away from each other. Then he looks at both of them alternatively with concern in his eyes.

"Drop it, will you? I'm not a piece of meat to be fought over", he says, making the two scoff.

Luhan blurts out, "Yeah, Kai, you should drop it. Minseok's clearly made his decision. He likes Jongdae."

Kai looks at Luhan with betrayed look on his eyes. Luhan kind of feels that this is the moment when he fucked up, so he tries to repair the damage he did.

"I mean, what's so good about Minseok anyway? He's like... a freaking killer. Who's like... really cold." 

"I swear to God you should just stop talking now and walk to the door", Sehun whispers while pushing his boyfriend further to the door. Luhan just shrugs and the two leave the room where the tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Almost practically, because Kai sure as hell would be ready to cut something some _someone_ with a knife.

"Stop it, guys, okay?" Minseok asks, trying to calm them down.

"He started it!" Jongdae defends himself. 

"Come on, guys, you're adults, so just freaking act like ones", Yerim scoffs. The two glare at her.

"Tell me honestly", Kai says, taking a hold of Minseok's wrist. Minseok looks at him deep in the eyes. "Do you not love me?"

"Yeah, but-" Minseok starts but is already out of words to say. Kai's eyes start to glisten and he regrets everything that he did with him. "I just feel like Jongdae is... my... the one. You know... He's..."

"You don't have to tell me more. I'm happy for you for finding your true love", Kai grunts and runs away, upstairs to his room while hiding his face. Minseok tries to follow him, but Tao quickly stops him.

"Don't. He needs to be alone. And he needs to know that you don't love him like that", Tao says.

"But I do love him like that", Minseok whines, gesturing at the stairs. Tao smiles painfully.

"I don't doubt it. But you have to make sure to let him know that you love Jongdae more."

Minseok looks up at the stairs. He crosses his hands behind his head and walks around in a circle. 

***

"Glad we got out of that one", Luhan sighs while starting the car. "I owe you one."

"You don't owe me anything. If anything, I still owe you many things", Sehun says with a dreamy look on his face. "All this drama... I always wanted a big family, but living in the same house with 9 other men starts to get to me..."

"When you thought about a big family you thought lots of love, not lots of drama."

"Good point."

***

At the mansion, Luhan knocks the door. It's cold outside and the two are swinging from side to side to feel a little bit warmer. 

It doesn't take long for the secretary to open the door. When she sees Sehun, she freezes. He freezes too.

Luhan waves his hand between them.

Irene gently starts to smile and hugs the air out of Sehun.

"You look just like in the past", Irene sighs dreamily. "Just like I remembered you."

Sehun hugs her back, leaning down to hug here better. She chuckles as he does so.

"Well, a little bit taller, but..."

"Can we get inside so you can hug more there?" Luhan suggests and the two break the hug, smiling to each other widely. She opens the door for them and they walk in to the entrance where Irene spends most of her days.

"As I promised, Luhan, you're free to look for anything you can find. If you're looking for the witch, I'm afraid you can't find her here. Even I don't know where she is."

"The witch?" Luhan repeats. Then he remembers the things that Yerim said to him on phone when he was treating Sehun. The witch was adjusting the two worlds. What does Yerim know about the _other world_?

"The witch." Luhan walks into the mansion, leaving Irene and Sehun at the entrance, to Irene's office. They shyly smile to each other and kick invisible rocks. Luhan's just woahing in the other room, but these two don't much care about him. They've been missing each other for too long.

"So... how have you been?" Sehun asks. Irene shrugs.

"After I went to high school, I was just studying all day. When I went to university, I met Seulgi. She's... Luhan's co-worker. A cop. And uhm... I guess I kind of finally accepted who I am then", she explains. Sehun didn't know that she was gay too.

"We are more alike than I had first thought", Sehun chuckles. "I told Father Lee... I was crying when I told him that I like a boy in my class..."

"It must not have been easy for you", Irene states, and Sehun shakes his head. 

"It definitely wasn't easy. But I managed, and I met Luhan."

"I don't want to act like I don't know. And I don't want to hide the truth from you. I know what Richard and Dmitri did to you. If I had known what Takanori was about to make them do, I would have stopped them. You know, I am just a secretary, they don't tell these things to me." Irene has genuine sadness and fear in her words. Sehun furrows his eyebrows a little and then looks away. "I want to know how you're holding up."

"...After what they did to me? I could be better", he sighs, biting his lips. "But I could also be worse."

"...You are so strong, Sehun", Irene says, now hugging him again. Sehun also wraps his arms around her. "I would have stopped Takanori if I knew what he was doing. I didn't know that it was about you, I didn't know you're a part of all of this until just recently."

"It's okay. It needed to happen. And see, I'm still alive. And I will be."

"I swear to god, if something happened to you... I don't think I could take it. I would die." Sehun smiles painfully and hugs her tighter.

"Nothing's going to happen to me. Promise me that we'll go on a double date with Luhan and Seulgi", Sehun suggests, now breaking the hug and holding Irene's shoulders. She looks up at him with her lips parted slightly before nodding quickly.

"Yeah. Let's do that."

In the other room, Luhan has found an interesting book. He scrolls through the pages to found interesting lore about the twelve forces. It says that their powers come from the stars and the witches.

But... what witches?

_Because a man has an uncontrollable want to create, this world must be made up.  
_

_Like wolves belong in packs, humans belong to create._

_So god is a human - the first human who ever lived. And he created this world from their own hands.  
_

"That is a conspiracy theory", Luhan sighs when reading those passages. He checks the cover, only to realize that this is a diary written in the 16th century.

__And I... I want to create my own world. My own paradise. I want to make the perfect world where everyone can be happy. No more wars, no more conflicts. Just peace._ _

_So I studied witchcraft, from the witches' books. There were many, and a lot of it made no sense._

_I don't believe I could ever understand it. But the witches agreed to help me, because they believe in my cause. And that is what I'm going to do._

Luhan scrolls to the last page of the diary. He doesn't really care about this guy's personal life. Just the forces and the other world.

_With the power of the thirteen stars from the exoplanets, we managed to create what we wanted. Another world where peace would prevail._

_But our most powerful witch died when she possessed the powers. Everything came so quickly, and it took her life instantly._

_Of course, it didn't take long from us to realize where the powers had gone. Her daughter...  
_

Those are the last words in the diary. Luhan took a bag with him and he slips the book in there. "You'll be safer with me", he exclaims when taking another book from the shelf. Another diary.

_My mother shouldn't have done it. She should have never helped that man. I cannot take this. I cannot take these powers... I just... If I knew that I couldn't be able to open a portal to get them back, I wouldn't have sent them there.  
_

_They wanted to make another world and be gods. Be the saviors of our human kind. While their intention was noble, their actions were foolish. They're stuck there! And it is all my fault!_

_I opened the portal and they went in... No, no, it's their fault for wanting to play gods._

_Anyway. I sent a few more people to the other world _today_ , to keep them company, to let them have their own world.   
_

_My powers are strong._

_They scare me._

_And I... I am the only witch left._

_After me... I don't know what will happen to the powers and the other world.  
_

"Fascinating", Luhan breathes out. It seems like there was a man who wanted to create a world where peace would prevail. He needed witches in order to do that. The powers to create the other world and open the portal to there needed powers from the stars - thirteen stars. That must be them. The bright star and the lost star as well as the eleven others. 

There's a drawing of the thirteen stars in the diary. One bright, one lost, and one of them particularly small and dim, right beside the bright star. What could that mean? Luhan knows that it means the twelve forces and Yerim. But he doesn't know if the three different stars have a particular meaning.

After gaining all the powers from the stars, the witch who got them died. But her daughter got all of the powers. She opened the portal into the other world, so the remaining witches and the man went in, to rule their own world.

Sounds bizarre, but Luhan knows that it is true. He's heard about witches from Yerim and he knows about the powers, of course. What he's now worried about is the other world. The logical thing to do would be to destroy it. Or...?

_"The world will be taken by a shadow."_

Something is not right with the world where peace should prevail. Luhan can guess that not everything went according to plan.

In the past only one witch held all of the powers. Now there's twelve of them. Or thirteen? He's not quite sure.

He searches for Yerim from his contacts and calls her to get some answers immediately. It doesn't take long for her to pick up.

_"What is it now, Luhan?"_

"Is Suho with you?"

_"No, he's with Yixing right now. Do you want me to get him?"_

"No, no. It would be better if you didn't. Listen... I want you to tell me something about the witch."

 _"What about the witch?"_ Her voice sounds a bit panicked when she asks. Luhan takes a deep breath and puts the other diary in his bag too.

"...Is she alive? Does she have the same powers as we do?"

_"Alive? She's uh... I can feel her energy. I can feel that... she's not really living, but not dead either."_

"She must be a ghost or something."

_"Probably. I know that she has some kind of powers, but I don't know what powers. If she can adjust the other world, she must have some kind of powers."_

"Yeah, you're right... Thanks. I'll see you soon", Luhan says. He would also like to ask how she's doing and ask if she's got some boy problems or something, if she's alright or if she wanted to do something together. Just like... he would ask from meimei. Lifen.

 _"Bye"_ , she replies and ends the call. Luhan walks to the entrance and takes his boyfriend's hand in his.

"Let's go home. I want to study these books. Hopefully I could also return them before mister Sekemoto comes back", he says when pulling Sehun away from his old friend. Irene stops them.

"Wait, Luhan", she says and the older one pauses. "Just... take good care of Sehun."

"When do I not take good care of him?" he asks when turning to face the woman. She smiles a bit painfully.

"I want you to take better care of him than I did."

"Irene-"

"It is my fault. I will blame myself for it forever."

"It is not your fault", Sehun tries to assure her but she shakes her head.

"...Call me whenever you need me", Irene reminds them and they nod. "Bye for now."

"Bye, we'll visit soon."


	38. Little While Longer

"Are you okay after that... incident with Sehun and his transformation?" Suho asks gently when Yixing is laying on the couch, covered with a blanket. He bites his lips and doesn't want to reply anything. He feels weak.

Silence falls between them for a while. Luhan is at work and the others are shopping for food and other necessary as well as not-so-necessary stuff. They have all the house to themselves and the cats.

"I... guess", he finally gives a dull reply. "Suho... Answer me honestly..."

Suho waits patiently, but Yixing won't continue talking. He just stares at the ceiling with a lifeless look on his face. That is the saddest thing Suho has yet experienced.

"Answer what?" he finally urges the other to continue. Yixing takes a deep breath and swallows a lump from his throat.

"Am I..." he starts but stops again when his voice breaks. He takes a moment to calm himself down when Suho starts caressing his arm over the blanket. "...Going to die?"

"What? Don't be ridiculous, you're not going to die. Not now, not on my watch. I will do anything to keep you here with me", Suho almost panics. Yixing lets out a tired and sad chuckle. The other one caresses his face gently.

"Thank you. For like... loving me. Or something. It really felt good to be loved again", he replies with faint voice that makes Suho almost cry. But he won't let the tears fall now.

"I told you. You're going to get through this. You are a strong person, Yixing, you are going to be alright-"

"Those words you're saying-" Yixing now finally looks at Suho whose eyes are glistening. Now that was a mistake. His own eyes start watering just then. "-They make so little sense to me right now."

"What, don't you believe in yourself?"

"I don't believe that the universe believes in me."

Suho takes a deep breath before slowly leaning in closer. Yixing stares at his eyes alternatively, tears falling down on his cheeks as strings of pearls when their lips meet for the first time. Yixing closes his eyes then, enjoying the moment they have between them. 

Suho pulls away gently and looks at him in the eyes, now his own tears dropping on Yixing's face. He can't stop the tears from coming, he can't control himself. So he lets his head fall on Yixing's chest while sitting on the floor, letting the other play with his hair. His brown, soft hair.

"I should have met you sooner. I knew you. I fucking knew you, my father- he knew you", Suho blames himself, but Yixing just shushes him.

"You'll get over me, too. You'll find a new lover. You will find a boy or a girl who will treat you like you deserve to be treated", he sobs, but Suho shakes his head, crying against his chest.

"No... No... I want it to be with you, Yixing. You can't go yet. We didn't even have a chance. Everyone here loves you. Sehun needs you. _I_ need you."

"You'll get over it. You'll get over me. One day after you've retired, you wake up in the hazy morning and take a walk around the city, to see all the people that would be dead without us. You will look at all the children who would be dead if it wasn't for us. We saved those people. We saved them. And that is all that should matter. Maybe you'll remember my name then. Maybe you'll remember how good of a person I was. Maybe then you'll remember your feelings for me and feel pain that I'm not there standing next to you, maybe then you'll feel sorry for me that it had to end like this-"

"Stop. Just- Stop", Suho cries when grabbing the blanket, hoping to get closer to Yixing somehow. He doesn't want to talk anymore. He doesn't want to hear those sad words right now. He wants someone to tell him that this is all just a dream - a bad dream that will end once he opens his eyes. His eyes are shut, but when he opens them, he can't see anything. All the tears have blurred his vision.

It can't end yet. They didn't even have a chance.

"When I was a kid", Yixing starts, looking at the ceiling again, a faint smile on his lips now. He tries blinking the tears away. "Me and my mother often visited the park. I remember walking to a dying crow. Dark, dying bird. My mother told me not to touch it, but I did. One touch of my finger made that bird fly again. My mother said it was a miracle. A gift from God."

"What did you think of it?"

"...Nothing. I didn't think anything. Later I thought it was a curse. That power did not come from God, but the one who opposes Him."

"Don't say that."

"I thought I was the son of Satan."

"That's harsh", Suho exclaims, patting Yixing's arm now. Yixing just shakes his head.

"When my grandmother got ill, of course I went to her place to take care of her. I went there every day to make her feel better. She always felt energetic around me, but when I left, she fell in her bed again. They said I was heaven's miracle", he says, letting out a chuckle. "Yeah, right."

"Don't be so hard on yourself."

"I am this weak just because of her. Just because I was so dumb to extend her already long life to shorten mine. I won't live to see my children. I- wanted to have kids", Yixing now cries with his whole body shaking, sobs coming out of his mouth so that it's hard to breathe. "I don't want to die. I'm so scared, Suho, I'm so scared."

Suho pulls away from him to lean on the side of the couch. He takes Yixing's hands from under the blanket and puts them together in order to make him pray.

"Your God can help you. He will take you in His paradise with open arms", he says, but that makes Yixing cry all the more. "There will be no more pain, no more sadness. You will look at me from up there and be my guardian angel."

"It scares me... It scares me... Will it hurt? Will I hurt? I'm so scared. I know that He will accept me with open arms, but... I want to be here with you for a little longer", he whines. Suho can't look at him in the eyes anymore. They're filled with too much sadness. Suho doesn't believe in God, but for the love of his life, he's willing to guide him.

"Then let us pray that He will let you stay with me a little while longer", Suho exclaims, helping Yixing hold his hands together and say everything that he wants to in his prayer. And that... that is the most heart-breaking thing that he's ever heard. 


	39. Transform

"We want answers", the man demands with a deep voice. The woman before him gasps when he hits his fist to the table.

"I-I do not know who took them."

"Don't you fucking lie to me, you were the only one here this whole month."

A woman in the corner of the room walks into the light and chuckles. She's old and her body looks hollow. Everyone in the room turn to look at her.

"I have given our boys a chance to meet the real them", she says with a smile. "If they all transform at the same time, the healer will surely die."

"Why would you want to kill the healer?" the man wonders. He has a scar on his face and a stubble. Dmitri sits right next to him.

"Because we need the healer", she says.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Dmitri asks.

"Bring me the lost star", she commands, and immediately the two rise on their feet. "He will be so happy to see you again."

***

Kai has been feeling horrible agony the whole morning. He's been twitching on the floor of the living room and everybody has tried to do something. Yerim and Suho were naturally called to help. 

"He is transforming", Yerim replies with a dead serious look in her eyes. Everybody's jaw drops. "She is adjusting the worlds again. Be prepared. You don't know what's coming."

"What about Yixing?" Suho asks in worry. He looks at the other who's laying on the couch with a blanket on himself. His condition is getting worse. Yerim pats Suho's back gently.

"They're right", Yixing says with barely audible voice. He looks up at Luhan. "You said that all of our transformations would kill me."

"But we need you to the other world", Luhan says. "This cannot happen. Everything will be ruined if it happens."

"Don't be so sure. You don't know the witch", Yerim assures, but Luhan flips his shit.

"Do you know the witch, Yerim?" he asks. She blinks a few times innocently before looking back at Kai who's in pain on the floor. His skin starts to turn white. "Thought so."

"Demon", Yerim says while watching at Kai's twitching body with an emotionless face. Something is not right with that girl. "He's a demon."

"Uhm... Care to elaborate?" Tao suggests.

"That's what you all are. Either demons or angels. It's half and half."

"Wow, so if I say, you're beautiful, you must have fallen from the heaven, is it true?" Baekhyun asks. Everyone glares at him.

"Get Kai closer to Yixing. His aura will heal him", Minseok commands, but Suho turns to him.

"Yixing's aura will heal Kai's wounds. And what happens to Yixing? He'll die", he says. Minseok shrugs. 

"Yixing was a good guy. He's just fulfilling his purpose", Minseok adds, now making Suho attack him. Luhan uses his telekines powers to pull them away from each other before they can even lay a finger on one another.

"Enough. We have more important things to do than watch you two fight", he says, moving Suho next to Yixing and Minseok next to Jongdae. "Take care of Yixing, Suho. And everyone else, take care of Kai."

"What about my transformation?" Yixing asks. But nobody knows what to reply to him.

"We'll get through it togeth-"

Before he can finish his sentence, someone kicks down the front door. A short man with a muscular body and a scar on his cheek. Behind him walks a skinny Russian.

Sehun feels that he's about to faint. Seeing the man who killed his mother makes him back off to his boyfriend's arms. As soon as everyone realizes that the two men are walking towards Sehun, they all jump before him and Luhan. Even Luhan pushes Sehun behind him. He knows the two men from Sehun's memories. The younger one is crying his heart out.

"Takanori. Dmitri", he says out loud. The men glare at him.

"We came here to retrieve the lost star to the witch. Her orders", Takanori explains. He stands still and judges the men before himself.

"Fuck off", Luhan scoffs.

"Your boyfriend, Luhan", Takanori demands, now deepening his voice. Luhan cannot read his thoughts. Why? Must be the witch's doings.

"You're never getting him, after all those things you did to him and his mother-"

"We didn't do much to his mother", Takanori reminds with a cold voice. "Shot to the head, she didn't even feel a thing."

"Oh yeah? What about the rest of us?" Suho yells at him from next to Yixing. "What did you do to our parents?"

"...We do not have time for this. We just need Sehun. Right. Now", Dmitri demands.

"Why?" Luhan wonders, ready to use his power if necessary.

"We don't want to harm him", Takanori says. "We want the same thing you do. To shut the other world. It's dangerous. And in order to fill you in with all of this information, we need Sehun."

"Why not here? Just spit it out!" Luhan yells and Takanori takes a step closer to him.

Just then Kris falls on the ground while holding his stomach. Takanori looks at him with a cold stare but the rest of them are horrified. Even Yerim. Tao screams his name and crouches on the ground next to him, trying to do something to save him. Kris' eyes start to turn yellow and his hair white. His back starts bleeding. He's going to grow wings.

"I see the transformation has begun", Takanori points out.

"Take me instead", Yerim says, walking to him. The man looks at her with a blank look, however. "I am valuable to the witch."

"No, bright star. You need to be here when the dim star dies. We came here for the lost star."

"And what the hell does that mean?!"

"It means that you wanted it or not, Sehun's coming with us", Takanori intimidates, now pushing her further away. "Do you understand, bright star?"

"I'll go", Sehun announces. Luhan turns to him immediately.

"Are you nuts?!"

"Maybe I am. But I want to know about our mission. I want to meet the witch. I want to figure this all out and be of some use!"

"You are useful-" Luhan starts, but Sehun gets angry.

"For what, Luhan? To boost your ego and follow you around like a puppy?"

"That is not- Agh!" Luhan falls on the ground while holding his head. It must be one of his episodes again, Sehun figures. He crouches on the floor next to him.

"Luhan?!"

"Get him, Dmitri", Takanori says to the man next to him. Dmitri walks to Sehun and raises him up to stand on his feet. Sehun wants to let go of him, he feels disgusted, but he knows what he has to do.

"You can't do this to us", Yerim says, but Takanori scoffs.

"Yes we can. In fact we just did."

Sehun, Takanori and Dmitri leave the building before all they can hear is screaming. Tears are already rolling down Sehun's cheeks when seeing the familiar van.

"You have already transformed. The witch knows. That's why we're taking you with us", Takanori explains. Sehun gulps. He just hopes no one gets hurt.

***

When Takanori and Dmitri throw Sehun in the same room with Irene and the witch, Irene rushes to him to embrace him.

"Irene?" he asks with a sob. Irene nods her head rapidly and hugs him tighter.

"Enough of this."

The voice came from the corner of the room. Sehun slowly looks up to see a hollow, ghost-like lady. If he thought Takanori and Dmitri were scary, he's in deep shit right now. He hugs Irene tightly.

"You may have heard about me", the ghost lady says when walking closer to them. "I am... who you call the witch."

"Th-the wi-witch?"

"I understand why you would be scared, church boy. I myself was raised catholic", she grins when sitting on the table in the middle of the room and looking at the bookshelves around. Takanori's mansion. Filled with books. "Your boyfriend took my diary. At least one of them. I was here, but I wasn't visible."

Sehun doesn't know what to say. He's so scared he can barely move.

"When Takanori killed and tortured all of your family members, I didn't agree on it. And it wasn't all on him, either. The word travels, and some people would do anything for their supernatural experiences. Takanori, however, was looking for affirmation. You see, even I don't know if you have the powers if you never use them."

The witch sighs deeply. It feels like talking to a wall.

"W-wh-what do you want w-with me?" Sehun stutters. He gets some strength from his friend being in the same room.

"You are the lost star, my dear. The star that is separate from the others. Your powers... don't connect with them the same way. But the most important thing is that... you are the closest related member to the witch. To me. My... I don't even want to count what grandchild you are for me."

Sehun's eyes widen.

"You're... my ancestor?"

"Depressing, isn't it?"

Sehun looks at the witch with shock, his jaw dropped to the ground. Irene does too.

"Now, that's what lost star means. Other than... being a star that's further from the others. The other two, bright star and dim star, are the two stars for the two healers."

"Two healers?"

Sehun's mind is about to explode right now. The witch turns to look at him with shock.

"You didn't know? It's the twelve forces because there are twelve powers. There's one for each, but there are two healers."

"What does that mean? Who is the other healer?"

"Don't you know? Obviously it's Yerim. But unlike Yixing, she is not the healer of living things, no. She is the healer of worlds and spirits."

"Answer me honestly", Sehun begs. The witch huffs. "What is going to happen to Yixing?"

"When did I lie? Yixing is a prop, to get you all through your transformations. He will die after he's helped you all through."

"What? B-but what if some of us were to get through it without needing his help?"

"He will eventually die from it. Don't you get it? Healer's life is different from yours. Imagine him having a life meter. The life meter shortens whenever he heals. Do you know how many dying things there are in the world? He himself shortened his life by being there next to his dying grandmother. It was a lethal mistake that might not keep him alive to your trip to the other world."

"But Yerim? She's not dying from this?"

"Yerim..." the witch looks away and sighs deeply. "Sacrifices must be given for the other world to be destroyed. Like I said, she is the healer of the world - this world. And in order to heal this world, she must destroy the other. She will die when saving everyone."

"That is so cruel", Irene cries. 

"I didn't choose any of this", the witch reminds her. "It is all my mother's fault for listening to that crazy old man. It is so sad that people who only help others are the first ones to die. She is so young, too."

"But... I don't... understand..."

"No one does, lost star, no one does", the witch sighs. "But you have to fulfill your duty before everyone become the ghosts of that world. Before you all become ghosts like me, trapped inside that world. You have to destroy it."

Sehun holds Irene's hand tighter and just sobs against her hand. Irene shakes her head, not wanting any harm to her friend's way. Friend's who she just got back.

"Your family members are in that place. They will not be in peace before it's gone", the witch explains, looking at the two with pity in her eyes. Sehun looks up at her with a horrified look on his face. His mother is alive in that place? Will he... see her? "I've lived as a ghost for centuries now. I want to die. And so do your family members. That place... is hell."

"But... how? How do we get to the other world?" Sehun asks. The witch takes a better position and just stares into the distance.

"I will take you there once you are ready. Find Takanori when you are." She then walks back into the room to look at the books, reading their names. "You are free to leave."

Sehun and Irene get up, holding each other on their feet. Irene turns to him to smile gently, caressing his hair. Sehun cannot even look at her. He just cries.

"...Yixing... he..."

"I know", Irene exclaims and hushes him. "I know..."

"We're taking you back home, I suppose", Takanori says as he comes to the room. "Everyone at home must be expecting you."

Sehun only looks at the ground, but he manages to utter the question, "They're all transformed, aren't they?"

"...Yes. They are in horrible pain. I suggest you go back to them immediately", the older man explains, Dmitri glaring at Sehun. He raises his hands and walks away from them, showing that he's not coming with them.

"I'm going with him", Irene says with a stern look, looking at Takanori who just nods to her.

"Sure."


	40. Sun Will Rise

As Sehun walks to the room, everyone looks happy to see him. But the faces that Irene and Sehun have when they see everyone except Yerim and Yixing transformed into horrible things, some screaming and twitching in pain, are everything but joyful. They eye at every single member of the forces - Baekhyun with a golden skin that hurts to look at, Chanyeol with skin that's covered in burn marks and bruises, like his flesh was on fire, Jongdae twitching like electricity was flowing through him, his eyes yellow and his skin light purple. Minseok with light blue skin, trying to move his fingers but they're frozen in place, he cannot even blink as his eyelids are frozen in place. Kai's body keeps altering, from small to big and from big to small, he keeps teleporting all over the room, cannot control himself. Suho keeps coughing out water like he was drowning. He can't even breathe in the process. Kris has grown himself gargoyle wings and his skin is snow white, his skin looks like it's stone. His eyes are black. Tao's clothing and hair keeps switching all the time. He seems to be the only one in not so horrible pain, since only his appearance is changing as he keeps going through time. But his mind is a mess. He just rolls his head and stands still like he was hypnotized.

And lastly, there's Luhan and Yixing. Luhan is laying on the floor, holding his head that now has big antlers on it. Sehun and Irene walk to the two and just stare at them with horror in their eyes. The whole ground around Luhan is filled with blood. His fingers have grown into huge claws and his body looks malnourished. His eyes are fully white with no pupil or iris.

Yixing holds onto Luhan's hand tightly and breathes very faintly. You could almost see his life force transferring to Luhan's body. He heaves and huffs, but Luhan is barely even breathing.

Sehun rushes to Luhan to hold him. He is immediately repelled as he realizes that his boyfriend stinks of dead body. But this doesn't stop him.

"Don't... touch... him..." Yixing warns, looking up at Sehun. He's almost dead by now, barely breathing. Irene doesn't know who this man is but helps him immediately by giving him physical support. Sehun looks at Yixing with sad and confused eyes. "His jaw... His voice..."

Sehun looks at Luhan's jaw and realizes that it is loosely fitting, like his jaw could literally drop at any minute.

"His voice... is like the screams of a dying forest..." Yixing breathes out with his last strength. "I must... heal him..."

"No, Yixing", Sehun says with tears dropping from his eyes. He cannot but feel pain at this moment, when all of his friends are feeling pain, one of them dying. "You must come with us to the other world."

Irene looks at him sadly. Sehun knows that he doesn't have to, but he just can't imagine going there without him. And he can't imagine what Suho will think after he's done drowning.

Yixing shakes his head, "I must... heal him... or he... will die..."

Sehun looks at him with pained eyes, shakes his head and hugs Luhan tightly while crying onto his hair. Yixing takes Luhan's hand in his again and closes his eyes to give his final strength to Luhan. And just at that moment, he falls limb in Irene's arms. This woman's who he doesn't even know.

Irene checks his pulse from his neck. She raises her head and shakes it while looking at Sehun who looks at the two alternatively. Then he hugs Luhan tighter and cries uncontrollably. Luhan is barely breathing. His mind is a mess. He cannot focus on anything that's going on because at the moment he hears _everything._ Everything that everyone in the whole apartment is thinking, most of that being pain and screaming. And it makes his mind go crazy.

"Can you hear me?" Sehun asks from his boyfriend who is completely unaware of his surroundings. Irene holds Yixing's body in his arms, unsure of what to do. Just then Yerim walks to them from the kitchen. She looks at Sehun with big and innocent eyes. Sehun glances at her but then he's off to crying about his boyfriend.

Yerim turns to Irene and smiles a little bit. Irene doesn't even flash a smile. This isn't a situation where smiling is appropriate. She turns back to Sehun.

"I didn't know we had a guest. If you had told me, I would've made dinner for her as well", she explains but Sehun is completely indifferent. It's like he didn't even acknowledge that she's there.

"I don't think he's in the mood", Irene exclaims. Yerim turns to look at her. Then she looks at Yixing. She kneels down before them and puts her finger under his nose to try if he's breathing. He isn't. She immediately turns to look at Suho with pain in her eyes. This world is so cruel.

She stands up and walks back into the kitchen, silent. Irene looks around herself to see these men in pain, crying and screaming. Most of them even unaware that they came home. Baekhyun, however, is completely fine. After he's done trying to treat Chanyeol's burn marks, realizing that he's not getting any better, he come to the Irene. She's almost blinded by the light of his skin so she has to look away.

"Is he...?" Baekhyun asks from Irene who immediately nods. He turns to look at Suho who is almost unaware of the whole situation, he just cannot stop the water running from his eyes. 

Irene, Sehun and Baekhyun sit there silently. None of them know what to say, but Baekhyun has one single thing on his mind.

"What did you do there? With... the witch?" Baekhyun wonders. He doesn't get a reply out of Sehun, so Irene explains.

"She told us more about your mission and the other world. You must shut it. The twelve of you."

"Who twelve?" Baekhyun asks. "Yixing is dead."

"The twelve of you... Yerim. The other healer", she says, to which Baekhyun just ohs once.

"This is gonna be a long night. All of them are in agony", he elaborates. Irene just nods her head.

"...Are you?"

"I just feel a bit tingly, that's all, really." He keeps staring at her but she cannot look at him or otherwise she'll be blinded. "Who are you exactly?"

"I am Sekemoto's accountant and housekeeper. An old friend of Sehun's."

"Oh. So that's why you came here." And silence again.

Nothing really happens in the next few hours. Yerim keeps making the dinner but it's already done when the others are still out of it. In the meantime she sets the table but she's done in no time. She just stares at the men with a really emotionless look on her face, just waiting for them to snap out of it.

Sehun keeps holding Luhan in his arms, he doesn't know what to do. Luhan can't speak or his jaw will literally drop. He can't look at him in the eyes. He smells of death. It almost feels like holding his dead boyfriend in his arms.

Just then Luhan's phone rings. Sehun takes the phone from Luhan's pocket and looks who the caller is. Sean. Of course. Luhan should be working right now, shouldn't he?

He answers the call but doesn't say anything.

_"Luhan! Finally you answered. You have to come to the station, right now. This is an emergency."_

Sehun stays silent for a while. He just sniffles and breathes into the phone.

_"Luhan? Are you alright? Answer me for fuck's sake!"_

"S-Sean... He can't come to work right now..."

 _"Sehun?"_ Of course Sean remembers him. He gave his boyfriend a lecture about dating a victim. _"Is everything alright there? He didn't... hurt you, did he?"_

"...Why do you keep thinking that he hurts me?" Sehun wonders. Irene is sitting before them, listening to the conversation. She has laid Yixing's body on the couch and closed his eyes for good. He won't get up from the couch on his own ever again.

Suho is starting to get out of his drowning experience. But after that, he collapses on the floor. The thud is audible in the phone, that makes Sean all the more worried.

_"What was that?"_

"...We're kind of having a situation here. Luhan's... not conscious at the moment."

_"You need to speak quicker, Sehun. I don't have time to lose, we have an emergency here. If Luhan can't come right now, okay. I'll call someone else. I'll come check up on you tomorrow."_

"No you don't have to-" Sehun tries but Sean already ends the call. Sehun drops the phone on Luhan and buries his face in his hand and just cries some more. Everything seems to be falling apart. The time is coming and all of them are on the verge of insanity.

Irene sits next to Sehun and hugs him gently to comfort him. She calmly rubs his back.

"...Nobody lives at the home he's going to. Me and Luhan moved in here with these guys months ago", Sehun explains, thinking about their last home. Or the place they called home. With Mister and Miss Cat... He misses living with Luhan, just the two of them. 

"You can go there tomorrow. Pretend like you're living there then. Say that Luhan's somewhere at the moment", Irene suggests. Sehun just hums. He doesn't like lying but if he has to, then he will.

"I can't do this anymore, Irene. I can't", Sehun cries in his hand. "Th-there's a dead body on our couch, and that body belongs to the man that my boyfriend used to love. They used to _love_ each other. They share pasts."

Irene doesn't know what to say, so she just rubs his back and leans on his shoulder. Baekhyun keeps treating Jongdae and Chanyeol. He doesn't care that much about the others. Chanyeol is in pain but the pain is no longer clouding his mind. He stares at Baekhyun treating his burn marks and smiles gently.

"You don't have to. They'll come back", he says and that makes Baekhyun's eyes widen. 

"Y-you're conscious?" Baekhyun wonders. Chanyeol smiles fondly to his boyfriend. 

"It hurts a lot, Baek... It burns... like a fire inside me..." He looks at his boyfriend's hands that are full of burn marks from touching his skin, spreading the lotion everywhere on his body. "I could burn a hole in you. Shouldn't you stop touching me?"

"No, don't be like that. You're in pain and I have to make sure you're not-"

"Okay, stop..." Chanyeol chuckles. "You're hurting yourself."

"No, I hurt more if I know you're in pain."

"Seriously, Baek, I'll be fine." Baekhyun looks at him with concern. He's definitely not fine.

Jongdae is still twitching, but he isn't getting electric shocks through his whole body anymore. He's unconscious as well. Minseok is finally able to move his fingers and blink his eyes. He just keeps wondering if the people who he froze felt like this. He's really done the devil's job if that's the case, he thinks.

Kris is slowly waking up too. His whole back is bleeding but at least he's slowly gaining consciousness. Tao's head is spinning, he holds his head and wonders where he is at the moment. Kris looks up at him, blinking his eyes rapidly.

"I just saw the history of the whole human species and how the universe began. I have never experienced such existential crisis", Tao explains to no one in particular. Kris just faintly smiles when hearing his voice.

Kai is still teleporting all over the house but he hasn't been conscious for a long, long while. And none of them have any idea if they'll be able to stop him from teleporting.

Luhan is still laying in Sehun's arms, barely moving. He's in such horrible pain that he can hardly breathe. Sehun listens to his faint and painful breathing.

"I'll make sure you're okay, alright?" Sehun says when caressing his boyfriend's cheek. He doesn't know it, but Luhan feels it, and that makes his mind immediately more calm. He hears less noises, less thoughts. Now Sehun's thoughts are dominant in his mind. Not even his own.

Chanyeol turns to look at Yixing's body on the couch. He crouches to it, to see that he is no longer breathing. He didn't get to know Yixing all that well but he is sad that he is gone.

Tao, however, freaks out when he sees what state Yixing is in. He immediately rushes to him, almost fainting due to his dizziness, to cry his eyes out. He touches Yixing's face, his chest, his neck to try his pulse, his wrist to try his pulse, his eyes to see if he wakes up. But he's not, and so he just breaks down. Kris also looks at what's happening but he's not that sure about anything yet.

And the evening goes on, feeling like eternity. It's started to rain and the whole building is dark. Most of the men are now conscious and grieving over Yixing, especially Suho, who regrets not being there in his final hours. He cries while holding the other's dead hand. He presses it against his own cheek and begs it to not be true.

Minseok is ice cold and his skin is blue, but he's now able to move fully, just not very quickly. Jongdae tries to warm him up but no matter what he does, the other's temperature is just not rising.

And Kai, he's laying on the other couch and just sleeping. He did gain consciousness one time but that's it, he was done with it all and just wanted to sleep the day away. He couldn't even process the fact that Yixing's dead. He does not believe it so he dreams that that never happened.

"So, the dinner has been ready for hours. But I guess none of you wants to eat..." Yerim says and most of them don't even reply to her. 

"We should get you two to your own room", Irene says to Sehun and Luhan. Sehun just stares at Luhan. "You have to eat something, Sehun."

"I'm not hungry."

"I know that Yixing's dea-" Irene starts but Sehun becomes angry.

"This is not about Yixing", he huffs. It's about all of this, not just Yixing.

"I'll help carry him", Tao says as he walks to the two. Sehun is so out of energy, but he takes the offer. The two of them lift Luhan off the ground, his body limp. His head is twitching uncomfortably with the antlers.

"What do we do about the body?" Kris wonders.

"We should take him to the police or something", Minseok suggests.

"Good thing we have one under our roof..." Kris exclaims.

"One that's completely out of it", Jongdae reminds. "Let's leave him here for the night. Tomorrow we have to take him away. We have to tell his family..."

"Don't you think someone will think we killed him?" Kris explains. Jongdae shakes his head.

"He died out of exhaustion or failure of heart. Those are not acts that we could inflict on him. He died in peace", he says with a sad voice.

Tao and Sehun carry Luhan all the way upstairs and lay him down on the king-sized bed. Sehun immediately lays down next to him and takes his hand in his. Waiting for him to wake up. Tao looks at him from head to toes.

"He's a fighter. He'll get through this", he exclaims. Sehun doesn't answer. It's like he didn't even hear him. "You know what Luhan's like. He's not a quitter."

"I'm just so worried about his pain. He's in so much pain that it has completely immobilized him. But so am I. The emotional pain I feel at the moment has completely crushed me", he speaks in monotone voice. 

"This too will pass", Tao says as he walks to the door. "Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise. Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."


	41. Cellar

Everyone is gathered around in the living room. No one is in their altered forms anymore, but are dizzy over their effects. Yixing's body lays on the couch, calm and peaceful, completely still. They just stare at him, not knowing what to do. The only one who's not present is Sehun, as he is at their old house with Sean.

"If I turn him in, how do I explain that we have a dead body in our house?" Luhan questions, his voice raspy. 

"Let's say we had a party. And his heart failed", Jongdae proposes.

"But what if his heart didn't fail?" Luhan wonders. What would he say to Sean then? And how can he explain owning this house and the other house? If that doesn't make him look like a suspect to something bigger then he doesn't know what does.

"Whatever the cause was, it wasn't our fault. But we will all be investigated, and that's not good", Minseok points out. "I know that I would get in jail. Kai would for drugs, Tao would for being a prostitute and Kris would for being a gangster. What then? We just leave our mission? You're gonna break us out from jail?"

Luhan sits down on the other couch and massages his temples. Yixing died because of him, because he saved him from dying in the transition. He owes his whole life to Yixing, more than he did already. And he has no idea how to properly honor his memory. He just thinks of all the things they did together, how good friends they were, how much he loved Yixing when they dated. But he wasn't as important to Yixing.

If only they were things that he could express by words. He doesn't like his next thoughts and he hates this depressed feeling, but he cannot do anything else. He cannot feel anything else.

"Let's... hide him in the cellar. When this is all over, I'll turn him in, and I'll personally start investigating all of you. Someone will have to sacrifice themself to lie that they hid the body, so that there will be no further questions", Luhan says and all of them are against it at first. But in the end they only have suggestions that are worse than the one before.

***

The doorbell rings. Sehun has been walking around in a circle for hours now and tried to make their old home look livable again. He did succeed for the most part, and he managed to keep this a secret from Luhan who is in horrible condition at the moment. Sehun feels horrible at the moment as well, but it's nothing compared to Luhan. Yixing was his childhood friend and the person who he lost his virginity to. They share memories that Sehun could never top.

Sehun didn't know Yixing for long to see his beautiful soul. He was full of life, almost literally, but that's the reason why all life was drained out of him.

He walks to the front door to open the door for Sean. The police captain flashes a smile to Sehun who motions for him to get in, without even a hi. He just looks at the ground, smiling very shyly. He hasn't seen Sean in a long time, but he does remember that the way he cared about him and Luhan was very sweet.

"Where's Luhan at?" he wonders. Sehun closes the door and the two of them sit in the living room together. Sehun has made some coffee, thinking that the captain would surely want it.

"He's not home at the moment", Sehun says as he sits down. Sean sits down as well and eyes at him suspiciously.

"You don't look too well. Has something happened?"

Has something happened, he asks! Everything has happened! But that everything is something that he can't reveal to the captain who looks worried sick. He's always thinking of Luhan hurting Sehun, isn't he?

Sehun takes a better position on the couch and just thinks of what to confess. What can he say, what lies are obvious, what is even appropriate for the moment? Can he cry about Yixing?

"Sean... My friend... and Luhan's childhood friend... recently passed away... We are both grieving at the moment-" he says and immediately breaks down to tears. He hides his face in his hands and leans them on his knees. Sean scoots closer and just pats his back, unsure of what to do.

"It's okay, it's okay... I didn't know about this. How come Luhan didn't tell me? I have to give him a vacation to let him grieve", Sean explains. Sehun just shakes his head and dries his tears on his sleeve.

"He's shocked. He can't even process it..."

"Is he drinking?"

"He is, but he doesn't have a problem with it, if that's what you're asking", Sehun replies and now sniffles a little bit as he turns to look at Sean. Sean looks apologetic and sad. "I made some coffee. Would you like some?"

Sean nods a little bit and smiles softly to Sehun who stands up immediately and walks to the kitchen. In the kitchen he leans against the counter for a while and cries. Even more things are crumbling apart, and he thought that he was in the bottom before this.

No, no. _This_ is the worst.

After that he takes two mugs and fills them with black coffee and some milk. He spends a couple of hours talking with Sean, about Luhan, his work, Irene's girlfriend and Sean's wife. After that he stays there, in their previous home, thinking about all the things that he and Luhan shared in here. How enthusiastic Luhan was about his research about the twelve forces, how he hated Tao and Kris (still does), how he met Yixing, how he fell in love with Mister and Miss Cat... And how he fell in love with Luhan, how they kissed on the couch and laid in each other's arms.

How he misses being alone with Luhan.

***

In the evening Sehun comes back home in his grey sweatshirt and eyes red from crying all day. He does feel a bit better after talking with Sean. But only a little.

And he feels horrible that he's keeping this away from everyone, but he really doesn't want to tell anyone. He doesn't have any feelings for Sean but it feels like he's cheating on his boyfriend. Cheating only with time.

Luhan isn't the best partner to talk with at the moment. He's in their room, staring at the wall and gripping his knees, biting his lips and gritting his teeth in a weirdly synchronized manner. It creeps Sehun out a little bit. So he takes steps closer to him slowly.

"You okay?" he wonders. Luhan snaps like he just woke up from a dream. He turns to look at Sehun with a pained look on his face. His eyes are as red as Sehun's. After staring at Sehun for a little while, he turns back to the wall. Sehun is sure that he knows that he was talking with Sean in their previous home. Their future home? "Luhan."

"I'm fine."

"It's okay to not be fine. He was your best friend for years. It would be weird if you were fine with... this", Sehun explains. Luhan looks down and shakes his head. He can't talk at all at the moment.

"I just... wanna be alone for a while, okay?"

Sehun takes a few steps back. He looks a bit hurt but understands if his boyfriend needs some time alone. So he walks back to the door and without a word, closes the door and leaves the door. After that he stays at the door for a while to hear Luhan's crying through it.

***

The laundry is in the basement, now with the disposed body. Nobody wants to go there, but somebody has to do the laundry. They've made a schedule for all the tasks, Suho, Yerim, Jongdae, Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Luhan being the only ones with no chores since they are the only ones working. Suho, Yerim, Jongdae, Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Minseok are not here at the moment, Suho doesn't want to be around them. All the heartlessness that he has to bear there is too much. Kris and Tao grieve, but not as much as Sehun, Kai and Luhan. Yixing meant the world to them. The rest of the group got mad and too emotional to Jongdae, Chanyeol, Baekhyun and Minseok for being too cold about the death. Well, it didn't affect the four of them that much.

Kai opens the door to the cellar and takes a deep breath before going in. He's too afraid just knowing that Yixing is there. He even fears that he'll resurrect and scare the shit out of them. That he's just asleep, or that he's a zombie. It's far-fetched, but Kai still has the jitters from amphetamine. 

He walks down the creaky stairs and looks at the cover that's over Yixing's body. He takes again a deep breath. His mental health is dying at the moment and he's exhausted. He just wants to go to sleep again. And when in bed, he dreams of having a boyfriend who was there to protect and love him. Everybody else has one, but why doesn't he have? Suho lost the member of the forces that was supposed to be with him, but Yerim is his soulmate - a platonic soulmate. Like Sehun is his platonic soulmate.

He regrets being with Minseok. And he regrets having feelings for Sehun as well. But he cannot change the things that happened between him and Minseok nor can he change the thoughts he had about Sehun. He's glad he got over Sehun quickly, though. He wouldn't be able to be with such a fragile, broken person. He's been shattered too, he can't be shattered again. The next time it happens, he's sure to die from having a breakdown, he's sure of it.

Just as he's about to put the laundry in the washing machine, he almost has a heart attack when the small window to the basement is shattered and a dead-looking white-skinned man crawls in. His eyes are completely black and so are his hair.

Kai drops the laundry and falls on his butt on the ground. That makes the zombie-looking man look at him and he backs to the wall, horror plastered on his face.

Is that Yixing? 

No, no, he's smaller than Yixing...

But he has a familiar aura. The same kind of aura as the rest of the forces...

Kai almost chokes on his breath when the zombie-looking man drops on the ground from the window and starts walking towards him. He backs off as much as he can, but the wall prevents him. He looks up at the zombie man as his breath hitches. His heart feels like it's pounding out of his chest. 

The zombie man doesn't seem to want any harm in his way. He sits down on the ground before Kai who's having a panic attack. And they just stare at each other for a long while. The zombie man is wearing a black hoodie and black pants. They're both broken. His face looks emotionless.

"Wh... Who are you?" Kai asks. The man doesn't answer. Just stares. "Wha-... What are you doing here?"

The man just gazes at him for a while, like it takes a while for him to understand the words that are being said. Like he couldn't even speak the same language.

Moments pass by before the small man replies, "Kyung... soo."

"...Your name?" Kai asks. "You're Kyungsoo?"

And the man doesn't reply. Kai feels a bit more relaxed but is still tense as the man keeps staring at him like a piece of meat!

"My name is Jongin. But everybody calls me Kai."

The big black eyes that the man has creep the crap out of Kai. He's almost ready to ditch the laundry and run away, but he's sure that he wouldn't be able to do it.

But wait.

He can teleport.

So why wouldn't he teleport?

He closes his eyes and thinks about the living room. He starts to disappear slowly, making the other man quite confused and panicked as well.

Then Kyungsoo touches his shoulders to make him not disappear. Kai is pulled out of it and he opens his eyes to see that the man is starting to transition from demon form to human form. His skin becomes clear and his eyes normal brown. And his skin looks like it's alive, as well as his eyes.

He stares at Kai deep in the eyes and mouths the words, "The Twelve Forces."


End file.
